Pokemon Master
by Tobelius
Summary: Nate wants to become a pokemon master, Zoe wants to get fame and glory, Mac just wants to get away from dull home life. Contests, Gym Battles, The Elite Four and Nate's older brother stand in their way... can any of them reach their goal? CHP 18 is up!
1. Prologue

The two trainers stood before one another each clutching a pokeball. The crowd in the stands gripped their breath in anticipation. The first trainer twitched his finger nervously and glanced up to the match referee. The second gulped attempting to conceal how tense he really was.

"3, 2, 1 lets get this battle started!" The two pokeballs soared through the air amidst waves of applause from the stands.

As the first ball hit the ground it unleashed a stream of blinding white light, which formed into a small pink balloon like pokemon. "Oh it's Jigglypuff!"

The second ball hit the ground shortly after, however the pokemon that emerged from this, was far larger then the previous. "And the challenger uses Snorlax!" Both trainers took a moment to size up the other pokemon (and there was a big size difference) before launching into their battle plans.

"Jigglypuff, sing!"

"Snorlax hit it with take down"

As the pink puffball inflated itself preparing to launch into song, the huge roaring giant smashed into it. Jigglypuff flew across the stadium to land some distance away looking seriously dizzy.

"Jigglypuff, are you okay?"

"Snorlax, before it catches it's breath, strike with mega kick"

The trainer watched as Snorlax thundered towards Jigglypuff. He bit his lip in determination, his mind calculating the various defence techniques. As Snorlax reached the ball shaped pokemon it pulled it's leg back preparing for a kick, David Beckham style, into the far right corner of the stadium. "Jigglypuff, minimize!"

The Jigglypuff shrunk down to a tiny size and hopped nimbly out of reach. Snorlax, who had the vision of an old age pensioner, failed to notice that Jigglypuff was gone and Mega kicked thin air. Snorlax fell with a crash to the floor. "Now Jigglypuff climb up Snorlax's back and into his ear and then sing!"

Snorlax lay dazed on the floor and the enemy trainer had seen his opportunity. Jigglypuff blew itself back to the correct size and climbed up to Snorlax's ear, and then began to sing. Quietly and then growing louder it wove together lyrics and music from different cultures and styles mingling sweetly with the crowd's excitement. And Snorlax slowly drifted off into silent slumber.

"Now Jigglypuff! Pound!" Jigglypuff raised its hand and struck Snorlax across the face. Snorlax barely flinched. Jigglypuff's trainer looked to his challenger. He didn't look as worried as he should. And this of course caused much anxiety to the somewhat inexperienced trainer.

The crowd cheered and booed anyway hardly noticing the delay in battling as it was realised that Jigglypuff couldn't really pound a 300-pound Snorlax out. "Jigglypuff, Double slap"

A technique known as try, try and try again comes into play sometimes in pokemon battles and it is something that to be honest rarely works. Because well it if didn't work the first time why should it work this time? Jigglypuff slapped Snorlax across the face once, twice, three times but to no avail. Jigglypuff's trainer looked to his opponent to see if he would retaliate.

"Playtime's over. Snorlax, snore!" Snorlax, though still asleep, shook slightly and then a huge ring of energy exploded from his body. Jigglypuff was taken unaware and thrown far across the battle stadium. When it landed it half bounced, half rolled to a stop. And finally lay completely still.

"Jigglypuff is unable to battle! Snorlax is the victor!" The crowd burst into a cacophony of cheers and chants for the winner. The loser returned his Jigglypuff and grudgingly slipped off mumbling to himself.

Nate sat in the third row staring at the winner. He could feel the applause echoing all around him. And he could see the victor's toothy grin as he raised his trophy. He mentally rubbed out this "winners" face and replaced it with his own. He could hear them chanting his name, as he became the new pokemon master. As he watched a glint of excitement burned brightly in his eye.


	2. Starting up

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The alarm screamed it's way into Nate's dream and he slammed his hand down upon it. He never ever got up _this _early and his mood was darker than the sky outside. Sliding on his Pikachu slippers he made his way across the landing to the bathroom. He stood under the hot shower and let the water soothe his sleep-deprived body.

Once he had dried he put on a green T-shirt and some dark jeans over this he pulled on a heavy denim jacket. He grabbed his backpack and filled it with the things he needed: a change of clothes, notebook and pen, bottle of water, a few chocolate bars and a book on pokemon battling. He pulled on his sneakers and tiptoed to the door.

"Weren't you gonna say goodbye?" Nate sighed as he turned around to face his mother, wearing a bright pink dressing gown with Chanseys lining the hem. She come up to Nate and gave him a hug.

"My little boy, only 10 and already heading off to become a trainer… I tell you your brother couldn't wait he was out that door crack of dawn ready to go off and become a trainer. But I'll say he did not have an easy time of it… oh no on his…"

Nate groaned as his mum went into story mode, regaling him, once more, with tales of his brother's exploits. It wasn't that Nate disliked his brother rather that he felt he was constantly in his shadow. Even at school his teachers were forever telling him,

"Your brother always tried hard. Your brother got an A. Your brother was always the lead in the play. Your brother this, your brother that. And Nate had grown sick of it. For once he wanted for his name to be called out without "Logan's brother" tagged on to it. And once Logan became a trainer, everyone assumed Nate would follow his footsteps. However Nate did want to become a trainer only he was not going to follow Logan's footsteps he was going to catch right up to him and then beat him in a battle. Someday.

"So honey, have you packed some spare clothes? How about a healthy snack? Oh make sure you bring a jumper." Nate assured his mother he would stay warm, stay dry and stay healthy. And then glancing at his watch insisted he must be going. His mother waved him off from the doorstep a tear in her eye. Nate promised her he would visit soon with lots of pokemon.

Nate hurried through Pallet town; it was completely empty this early in the morning. He saw Professor Oak's lab looming up ahead of him. He burst through the door to find two trainers to be already waiting for him. "About time!" Yelled the first trainer. She was small and had black spunky hair with red streaks. She was wearing a black studded jacket and black skinny jeans. She wore silver sunglasses and stood as though she were a rock star with her hand on her hip. The second nodded towards him. He was wearing a white baggy hoodie and beige linen trousers his black hair was pushed down over his eyes by a beanie. He stood with his arms folded not catching eye contact with anyone.

A door slid open and out stepped a middle-aged man wearing a lab coat. Nate immediately recognised him as Professor Oak also known as the pokemon prof. "Hello there, there was meant to be four of you but we can't any longer, can we?" He looked towards the rock star girl who nodded aggressively.

"Well come on in then"

He led the three-pokemon trainers into his lab. Nate looked around at the various experiments. Scary machines and bubbling test tubes surrounded them on all sides and whilst the black haired guy looked around in awe, Nate regarded them cautiously.

"So where _are _these pokemon," Rock star moaned loudly.

"They're right over here," said Oak motioning towards a table on which lay three poke balls.

The three trainers gazed at them with awe, dreaming about the pokemon, which might lie inside.

"I've decided!" announced Nate.

"I want Charmander"

This was met with an angry cry

"What? I want Charmander!" gasped Rock Star.

"Well I chose first"

"That's only because you opened your big mouth first"

"Me? You're the one who won't shut up"

"Why I oughta…

"Oughta what?"

Whilst Nate growled angrily at the stubborn girl shoving her freckly face in front of him he noticed the other trainer take a pokeball. "So you choose Bulbasaur, an excellent choice for you Mac" Oak grinned happily. Mac smiled holding the pokeball tightly.

"Now what about you two have you come to a decision?"

"Yeh I'm getting Charmander."

"No you're not!" As the two trainers began to shout over each other once more Oak sighed,

"Zoe, why don't you take Squirtle?"

"Fine… whatever… I don't want stupid Charmander anyway"

"Then how come you said you did?" Nate retaliated.

"I didn't mean it," Zoe shouted back.

Oak and Mac watch as once more the two headstrong trainers launch themselves into a heated argument. Eventually Oak managed to give Nate the Charmander and Zoe received the Squirtle. Oak then reached into a box and gave each new trainer five pokeballs. They all thanked Oak and left the lab. However as soon as they were outside it all started once more.

"I got the better pokemon." Zoe boasted.

"No you didn't" screamed Nate.

"I bet it could beat your puny pokemon"

"You wish" Mac put his head in his hands as the two were at it again. He hadn't really wanted to become a trainer in the first place. But as usual his dad had pressured him into it saying all boys became trainers, otherwise Mac would be a wuss.

"Yo, Mac, pay attention" Nate pulled Mac out of his thought bubble and back to the real world.

"Don't you think that Charmander's better than Squirtle?"

"Well I…"

"It so is not!" Zoe interrupted.

"Fine then let's battle, that'll decide it" Nate decided

"I was just about to suggest that" Zoe spluttered

"Mac, you fighting?"

"Whatever" Mac answered secretly desperate to try out his new pokemon. Nate unclipped Charmander from his belt and unleashed the pokeball, a small orange lizard appeared, it's tail burnt brightly and it looked around in determination.

"Go Squirtle!" A little blue turtle appeared. It looked almost as confident as it's trainer and Zoe gave a smug grin.

"Bulbusaur" A small green dinosaur appeared a huge bud was growing on it's back. It surveyed the other two with a look of mild interest.

"Let's get this party started! Squirtle hit Charmander with tackle!"

"Charmander use growl!" Squirtle smashed into Charmander with her shoulder before Charmander could do a thing and Charmander was sent sprawling across the dirt.

"Nate! Are you trying to lose?" Zoe giggled

Nate growled, more impressively than Charmander I might add, and called to his Charmander.

"Charmander! Use Scratch on Squirtle." Squirtle let out a squeal as Charmander cut into her flesh with his claws. Charmander stood looking pleased with himself. And Nate yelled,

"Hey Zoe looks like you've got the weaker pokemon!" Charmander taunted Squirtle as it lay on the floor. Suddenly Charmander was thrown down next to it. Bulbasaur stood triumphantly in front of the two weakened pokemon and Nate let out a small smile.

"Charmander, Scratch!"

"Squirtle, Tackle!"

Both pokemon hauled themselves off the ground and charged at Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur's eyes bulged as he realised what was about to happen. Mac gritted his teeth and watched as Bulbasaur was thrown far across the street to land completely unconscious. With a sigh Mac returned his pokemon. He had not been expecting a double team.

"One down, one to go," laughed Zoe as she prepared to battle Charmander once more.

"Squirtle, tail whip!"

"Charmander, Growl!"

"Tackle"

"Scratch" Charmander and Squirtle battled on and on. Using their limited attack list to it's advantage. After a particularly successful tackle Squirtle and Charmander stopped for a moment both breathing heavily. Squirtle hiccupped a bubble and Charmander's flame sputtered. Zoe watched the bubble float up and it gave her a good idea.

"Squirtle use bubble!" Squirtle looked confused for a moment and then taking a deep breath unleashed a mouthful of frothy foam. Charmander was hit head on and was thrown back into Nate who fell as well. Charmander lay motionless.

"Wahoo! I win! You lose!" Zoe danced around from foot to foot. She pulled Squirtle into a big hug commending it for it's brilliant performance.

Nate returned Charmander and walked over to Mac. "Good battle"

"Hardly… you did well"

"Thanks… I'm heading to Pewter City now… you wanna come along" Mac thought to himself, he hadn't really considered where he would go next. But he might as well get some company.

"Sure I'll come with you" Nate and Mac walked off together each talking about their first battle.

Zoe continued to hug Squirtle. "You were brilliant! We won… oh yeh… we're so great" Zoe sang to herself.

"Squirtle!"

"What do you mean?"

Zoe turned around to find herself alone. "What the… wait up!" Zoe screamed as she raced down the road in the direction of the two trainers. Nate and Mac grimaced and quickened their pace.

Meanwhile a certain ten-year-old trainer in a red hat was sprinting through the winding alleys of Pallet town. "Oh God. He thought to himself. I'm gonna be late!"

Hope you enjoyed 

**Please review (have I already said that?)**

**I will try and update soon!**

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P.S if anyone has a trainer they'd like me to put into the story**

**Please go ahead and put it in the review!**

**Just put their name, pokemon and anything else interesting about them**


	3. Viridian Forest

The Weedle lure bobbed slightly in the water and Mac opened one bleary eye to check the lake. He thought he could see a Remoraid on the lure but it was difficult to be sure. Using his hands he pulled himself silently up from under the shady tree and edged towards the rod. Making sure to keep his breathing low and slow paced he stepped towards the rod. He was certain if he kept completely quiet Remoraid would be his. He took another step and another he had almost grabbed the rod when…

"MAC! Caught any fish yet!"

Nate made his presence known as he crashed through the bushes, Mac saw the Remoraid jolt at the loud noise and shoot off into the murky depths. Mac turned to Nate with a look of hatred, but Nate grinned at him obliviously. "Fishing looks so boring! Why don't you go out and look round this forest with me for pokemon?"

"I fish because I _like _fishing. Besides it's the best way to find some pokemon. You can't just find pokemon in grassy fields, you can find pokemon in lakes, caves even up trees: you have to be versatile." Nate looked around at Viridian Forest. Despite being here for almost two days he had only managed to catch a single pokemon. Perhaps Mac had a point.

Nate walked towards the nearest tall tree, grabbed a stone and chucked it up into the leaves. Almost instantly it was met by a loud squawking. Nate turned to Mac grinning eagerly but Mac rushed over to Nate groaning, "I've been looking in that tree for the last four hours and I've found nothing!"

"I guess I just have that pokemon trainer skill, and perfect aim," Nate replied smugly, moments before the rock bounced off the trunk of the tree and knocked Nate to the floor along with his heavy ego.

From the tree a black bird with a snow white chest and a blood red neck and face emerged furiously. Mac gasped and flicked out a strange beeping machine. From deep within the device a voice was emitted. The sound was fuzzy and continually changed pitches.

"TAILLOW: TAILLOW COURAGEOUSLY STANDS ITS GROUND AGAINST FOES, HOWEVER STRONG THEY MAY BE. THIS GUTSY POKEMON WILL REMAIN DEFIANT EVEN AFTER A LOSS. ON THE OTHER HAND, IT CRIES LOUDLY IF HUNGRY."

Nate grinned and unclipped a pokeball from his belt while saying, "Sounds like the perfect addition to my team, Charmander go!"

The small red lizard roared as it stretched its limbs preparing to battle, Taillow fixed Charmander with a piercing gaze. "Now Charmander, Ember!"

Charmander took a deep breath and then spat out a curling line of brilliant flame. Taillow was taken by surprise and hit head on, throwing it to the floor a few feathers still smoking. "Great, now Charmander scratch!"

Charmander rushed forwards its claws bared. But at the last moment Taillow raised it's head and pecked Charmander in the chest. Charmander reeled backwards squealing. While Charmander attempted to get to it's feet, Taillow went stiff and started to glow.

"Nate, look out! That's focus energy!"

"Get up Charmander!" Nate screamed at his weakened pokemon. Charmander lay on its hands and knees breathing heavily. Taillow flew up into the air and then swooped down beak first. Before Charmander could do a thing he had been thrown across the field where he landed with a thud unconscious. Nate thanked Charmander for his good effort and then took a second pokeball and threw it in front of Taillow. The while light shot out of it and the light formed into the shape of a Wurmple.

"Come on Wurmple, let's do this!" The small red caterpillar squeaked and Taillow's eyes visibly bulged in excitement. It was well know Taillow ate Wurmple.

"Wurmple, string shot" Taillow, who was circling Wurmple from above, watched as the strange white string flew towards. Only when it was too late did the Taillow notice. The string tied it's wings together and it spiralled lopsidedly to the ground where it landed with a thump. "Ok. Go pokeball!"

The red and white ball span through the air towards the incapacitated bird and captured it in a burst of light. The red light on the clip flashed once, twice and then with a PING died out.

"Alright! I caught Taillow!" Cried Nate, Wurmple reeled onto its back legs and Charmander, who had re awoken, jumped happily into the air. Mac couldn't but smile for him. There was just something about Nate, his confidence and happiness were contagious. Nate opened his third pokeball and unleashed a rather ruffled looking Taillow. Reaching into his backpack, Nate pulled a potion and sprayed it on the Taillow. It cooed happily and gave Nate an affectionate nuzzle with its beak. Nate happily congratulated all three of his pokemon on their performance.

Meanwhile Mac had returned to the lake. He noticed as he returned, that the Weedle lure was once more bobbing up and down in the water. He tiptoed as fast as he could to the rod and saw a goldeen pulling on the Weedle. He reached slowly for his fishing rod when…

A red and black haired blur rushed past knocking over the Rod and Mac also scaring Goldeen into fleeing in the same direction Remoraid did. Nate looked up and groaned when he saw an all too familiar face sprinting over to him. Zoe's jacket flapped in the wind as she sprinted towards Nate.

"HEY! How come you left me behind?" Zoe yelled angrily.

Nate shrugged his shoulders lazily.

"Why I oughta…" Zoe stopped mid sentence as she noticed Nate's pokemon.

"_You _have already caught two pokemon!" She yelled so loudly a Pidgey fell out of a nearby tree.

"Well, I guess I just have some sort of natural talent," Nate replied smugly.

"NATURAL TALENT! HA… you managed to catch a worm and a sparrow. They'll probably KO each other before they hurt any other pokemon."

Nate clenched his teeth. How dare this denim-clad harpy insult _his pokemon. _"YEH! I bet your pokemon wouldn't stand a chance against mine!"

"WHAT! Fine then. You're on. GO! Poochyena and Nidorina!" Zoe hurled two pokeballs and from them came a small grey and black dog and a little blue dinosaur. "You, ready to battle?"

Just as Nate was about to reply, a voice called out from somewhere above them. "Be you, from Pallet Town?"

Nate glanced fearfully from tree to tree but Zoe didn't seem phased. "Yeh, who wants to know?" She yelled up into the forest.

A dagger whistled through the air and landed inches away from Zoe. Nate her pulled out of the way just in time as a second one followed. Cursing a shadowy figure dropped from the trees. Dressed in ninja gear he carried a long sharp sword.

"I am Samurai, and I wish to do battle with you."

Nate opened his mouth to answer but Zoe cut across him, "Yeh? I'll take you on!"

"I will battle the both of you in a one on two battle. And I will win." Samurai said defiantly.

"Fine! I'll use Nidorina." Zoe replied fiercely, and then glared at Nate,

"Hurry up… and choose a pokemon!" Nate muttered quietly to himself and released Taillow.

The Samurai observed both pokemon for a moment and then took two pokeballs from his belt.

"Pinsir, Weepingbell. Come to your master!" A human sized stag beetle emerged clicking it's pincers excitedly. Next to it a bulb like plant appeared. Nate knew that Taillow would be effective against these two bug pokemon. However before he could issue a command, Zoe began the battle.

"Nidorina, Double kick on Weepingbell!" Nidorina darted forwards preparing to kick.

"Weepingbell, Vine whip!" Weepingbell unleashed long green vines and ensnared Nidorina, hurling it into the air.

"Now Pinsir, Seismic Toss!"Pinsir launched itself into the air, seized Nidorina and hurled it back to the ground. Nidorina squealed as it landed, badly injured. Zoe turned angrily to Nate,

"ARE YOU GOING TO HELP ME? Nidorina is getting hurt thanks to YOU!" Nate groaned but Zoe was too scary to disobey.

"Taillow, fly up high and use peck." Taillow flapped its wings and rose into the air, and then when it reached a good height it began to dive down towards Pinsir.

"Pinsir, wait for the right moment, then Vicegrip!" Just as Taillow reached Pinsir, it's pincers closed around the bird, crushing it mercilessly.

"Weepingbell, poison powder on Taillow." Weepingbell blew out a wave of poisonous spores onto Taillow, who began to cough.Pinsir then hurled Taillow back to his trainer. Nate and Zoe turned to one another, looking worried.

"Zoe, we need to work together." Zoe swallowed her pride and nodded.

"I'll get Taillow to focus energy, you protect it."

"Got it!"

"Taillow, focus energy."Taillow began to glow.

"Pinsir, stop Taillow, use vicegrip." Pinsir sprinted forwards to the unprotected bird.

"Now, Nidorina, tail whip." Nidorina waved its tail in front of Pinsir, bringing Pinsir to a halt.

"Scratch!" Nidorina unsheathed its claws and took a swipe at Pinsir's chest. Pinsir stumbled backwards groaning.

"Taillow, PECK!"The charged up Taillow rocketed into Pinsir, beak first sending Pinsir flying. Pinsir landed heavily and lay still. Samurai reluctantly returned Pinsir. Nate turned to Zoe and they both nodded.

"Taillow, use peck!" Taillow charged forwards once more, but Samurai was ready.

"Weepingbell, stun spore!" Taillow's speed began to reduce and then it stopped completely falling to the ground.

Samurai laughed, the haze of the stun spore filling the battlefield. Suddenly, from within the fog, Nidorina appeared slamming it's foot into Weepingbell twice. Weepingbell reeled backwards and Zoe finished the job with a scratch. Weepingbell shuddered for a moment and then collapsed. Samurai returned the Weepingbell. Nate and Zoe high-fived happily and congratulated their pokemon. Samurai bowed to the two of them.

"I am most impressed. You two will surely go on to great things."And with that Samurai darted off into the forest.

Nate turned to Zoe smiling; Zoe gazed back at him her eyes looking right into his. Nate unexpectedly found himself leaning in, preparing to kiss his enemy. He closed his eyes and move forward. As he met her lips he found them surprisingly rough and motionless. He opened his eyes to realize Zoe was gone and he was sharing a passionate moment with a rather old looking oak tree.

* * *

Mac's eyes pored over the lure. He had never ever expected to hook a Corphish. The small crab was tugging manically on the rod. He turned and his mouth opened in shock as he saw Zoe rushing over to him. "NO!" he thought, "she'll scare off another pokemon."

With sudden unseen strength Mac wrenched Corphish from the water and released Bulbasaur. "Bulbasaur, Vine whip" Bulbasaur let out long green vines from the bud on it's back. But Corphish merely cut through them with a vicegrip.

"Bulbasaur, leech seed" Bulbasaur shot out large seeds, which stuck to Corphish's body, sucking its strength.

Corphish held out its claws and shot out a stream of bubbles, which slammed into Bulbasaur's body knocking it over. Zoe ran onto the scene but stood silently for once knowing when to shut up. "Bulbasaur! Get up…" Bulbasaur struggled as it righted itself once more. Then Bulbasaur used its leech seeds to heal itself. "Good work, Bulbasaur, tackle!" Bulbasaur charged forward and hit into Corphish head on who scuttled backwards precariously.

"Go, pokeball!" The ball flew through and opened sucking Corphish in. The ball shook madly as the strong willed Corphish battled to escape. But to no avail the ball had well and truly caught Corphish. And as it Pinged Mac cheered and hugged Bulbasaur who gave an odd crooked smile.

Zoe rushed up and hugged Mac, who flushed red in the face.

"Nice one. So I guess we're gonna be travelling together!" Mac and Nate mouths opened but they both stopped themselves. They had finally realised it was impossible to get rid of Zoe.

**Did you enjoy?**

**This chapter took me ages and is quite long**

**But I had to do it so I could show their pokemon**

**PLEASE review and make a character if you want!**

**Tobelius**

**P.S thanks Amorean you really helped me carry on with this story**


	4. Arrival at Pewter City

The sun was beating down strongly on Nate's neck and causing him to sweat profusely. This in turn made his hand even sweatier than it already was held firmly in Zoe's grip. Zoe had insisted the three of them walk together hand in hand, and although it had been quite pleasant at first it was becoming increasingly more awkward.

Clutched in Zoe's right hand Mac blushed bright red and felt something that was definitely not a pokeball moving inside his trousers. He had never really hung around with girls before especially not ones like Zoe. Zoe was genuinely nice if a little eccentric but her touchy feely attitude was something Mac had yet to get used to.

Suddenly Zoe dropped the boy's hands and pointed madly ahead of them.

"MAC! NATE! It's Pewter City!"

And she was right. A vast expanse of buildings littered the valley in front of them. Mac stared at the huge Pewter Geodude fountain but Nate couldn't take his eyes off the Pewter City gym. It loomed tantalisingly in the middle of the city it's walls gleaming in the sunlight. Zoe turned to the two boys her spunky hair bobbing in the light breeze.

"So which of you fella's gonna come with me to take on Brock?" Mac looked to Zoe, he would like to challenge Brock, and he might even win. But what if he didn't? And Zoe saw him lose and laughed?

"I don't want a stupid badge." Mac replied moodily.

"WUSS!" Mac winced at the word yelled from Zoe's lips.

"Hey, Zoe I'll take him on and beat him too!" Nate said. Zoe grinned widely and grabbed Nate by the hand. She dragged him recklessly through the streets with Mac struggling to keep up. As they turned a corner, Zoe pulled Nate headfirst into Street vendor's stall throwing the assorted colourful fruits into the muddy street.

The vendor grew red in the face and turned on the three kids. Unfortunately Mac was the only one still there at the time, Zoe had already hurried off, giggling, hauling an apologetic Nate. Mac cursed his two "companions" as he emptied his wallet into the Vendor's fleshy fist. "Typical," he thought, "They've run off and forgotten about me. And now I have no money. How will I call my mum?"

Out of the corner of Mac's eye he spotted a brightly coloured poster with a message printed in block capitals. Turning to look more closely, he noticed "£500 grand prize!"

Zoe was lost. But she'd never admit it. She was sure she had been done this street before. Yes she had, there was that vendor they had brushed past. As they hurried past the vendor shook his fist furiously, Zoe blew him a kiss. Nate tripped over a loose paving stone and pulled Zoe to the floor with him.

"Wow, Zoe…" Nate began but Zoe cut across him,

"I'm LOST! Where is this stupid place?"

"Zoe…"

"Shut up! I need to think… it was near that fountain…"

"Zoe…?"

"SHHHH! We passed that vendor before, I vaguely recall him yelling at us."

Nate gave a sigh and pointed behind Zoe. Finally Zoe got the hint, turned around and the two of them gazed up the building in front of them.

PEWTER CITY GYM

Was printed in giant red letters over the front arch. With a high pitched excited scream Nate and Zoe charged up the steps two at a time and reached the door together. With a deep breath they pulled on the large iron rungs and…

Found it was locked!

Nate looked as though he might cry and even Zoe looked phased. "But… gym…Brock…badge…locked!" Nate muttered wide-eyed. Zoe began to think up a new strategy.

"We'll break into the gym… NO! It's gonna open again we can go to the pokemon centre and wait it out… OR we could keep going and get the next badge and come back later… OR we could dress up as Rhyhorns and rob a bank!"

Zoe was talking rapidly and Nate found it difficult to pick everything up. Apparently Zoe thought they should break into the pokemon centre and steal some Rhyhorns or maybe she'd said keep going, get the next badge, steal some Rhyhorn. Damn it! Nate couldn't get Rhyhorns off his mind now. It was all very confusing.

"Hey!" A loud cry brought Nate and Zoe away from their bank robbing fantasies.

"You guys want to get the Boulder Badge?" The yell came from a small curly red haired kid in ripped jeans and a grubby T-shirt. "Name's Aaron and I know where you can get the badge."

He started to walk off and then came back angrily,

"HEY! Are you coming or what?" Nate looked at Zoe, they both weren't sure about following some random kid. You heard stories about poke hijackers. Nate turned to the boy and began to speak when he realised he had already gone. In a panic Nate turned to Zoe for answers. She was also gone. Howling angrily Nate sprinted down the road after the two of them.

* * *

Meanwhile Mac was sitting on a wooden bench beneath a blinding neon strip light wondering if perhaps he had made the wrong decision. All around him people were letting their pokemon out. They all looked pretty strong. He looked up as his name was called. He gulped down his fear and stepped out in front of the crowd.

* * *

Nate and Zoe were surprised to find themselves opening the front page of a pokemon writing test, whatever that was. They had been ushered inside the room by four red haired children and told to do the exam in silence. With a sigh Nate opened the paper and looked at the first question: 

"What colour is a Charmander?"

Well that was easy, he had one of his very one strapped to his belt but then we went to circle he found it was not there. He paused for a moment as he looked at the other answers.

Crimson

Magenta

Ruby

Scarlet

Nate groaned to himself, he hated tests. And this one was no small feat, spanning over twenty pages on 482 different pokemon. Nate was in for a LOOOOOOOONG day.

* * *

"Go, Corphish!" Yelled Mac as the crowd applauded him happily. Well crowd was a bit of a stretch round about thirty people sat in the stands but they all were looking pumped after seeing so many coordinators. 

The small orange crab looked to Mac confused. Mac wasn't all too sure of himself either.

"Um… Corphish use bubble, a big one!" Corphish nodded and raised a claw creating a huge bubble, which floated up in front of the audience.

"Now bubblebeam through that bubble!" Corphish shot a stream of bubbles into the bubble they passed through but were contained inside the bubble bouncing off the sides stuck inside.

"Wow, a fantastic snow globe like combination!" Yelled the MC.

"Finish it with a Vicegrip!" Corphish darted into the air and popped the giant bubble with a slice of its claws. The tiny bubbles were released and floated out over the audience popping above them. Mac congratulated Corphish and then looked nervously to the judges.

"We give Mac 76 out of 100."

The crowd (well the group) went wild. 76 was pretty high for a first timer and Mac grinned all the way off the stage.

The rest of the coordinators seemed pretty impressed as well. As he returned backstage another coordinator approached him. She had long brown plaits and a freckly face, she wore a beanie a cropped bright orange T-shirt and a pair of ripped jeans, which showed some badly, bruised knees. She was grinning cheekily at Mac.

"Hey dude," she said. Mac could barely take his eyes off her.

"Um…uh… hi." He burbled.

"I'm Allegra. And I've come to congratulate you on that impressive 76 you scored. I've never seen a newbie get such a high score. I mean my first contest I totally screwed up" She talked easily and naturally and it calmed Mac down.

"So what did you get?"

"94. Yep, my Eevee did pretty well. And I can't wait to get my second badge!"

Allegra pulled out a blue case and slid the cover open. Inside it were the indentations of many badges; one was filled with an orange badge with a picture of an egg on it. "The pallet town contest, for new beginnings. Last year I didn't win a single tournament but this year, I feel lucky."

Mac laughed completely at ease "if only Zoe was this easy," he thought to himself.

* * *

Zoe and Nate stretched their wrists after their hardcore writing day. Suddenly it occurred to Nate they still had no idea where Brock was. 

"Hey, where do we get the Boulder badge from?" The four red haired children turned to them,

"You have to battle mu… Ms. Tucker"

"She's real good"

"I beat her once"

"Doesn't count she let you win"

"Nu…uh"

The four children began to yell loudly over one another and Zoe sighed it was like she was home again, she had missed constant arguing Nate and Mac weren't very good at it.

"KIDS!" Zoe yelled. The children looked to her midway through angry conversation

"I want the Boulder badge, so go find me Ms. Tucker so I can kick her ass." The four glared angrily at Zoe,

"You can't talk about her like that, who do you think you are,"

They advanced menacingly towards Zoe and Nate. Nate closed his eyes preparing to be beaten up a horde of small children. "Tell you what we'll battle you, two on two! If you win we'll find…Ms. Tucker."

Zoe laughed derisively, "Whatever kiddies, I'm happy to play for a while."

The two red haired girls threw out their pokeballs and from them came a small floating rock with two arms and a small pink one with large floppy ears. "We choose Geodude and Whismur," stated the girl with the red ponytail.

Zoe giggled to herself before throwing out her two pokemon, "Poochyena and Nidorina come on out!" Zoe's two pokemon eyed up their opponents confidently.

"Whismur hit Poochyena with a pound!" The little Pink pokemon darted forwards,

"Nidorina, Double kick," Zoe replied lazily. Nidorina ambled into the path of the oncoming pokemon and stopped Whismur abruptly with a kick to the stomach and then a follow up in the face. Whismur keeled over unconscious.

"Whismur!" cried one of the girls

"Give me a break this is way too easy," Zoe sighed.

"Grrr… Geodude hit him with rock throw!" Geodude surged forwards at Poochyena.

"Poochyena, Bite!" Poochyena caught Geodude at the perfect moment and latched its powerful teeth onto Geodude. Geodude wailed and cried attempting to throw Poochyena off, but to no avail. Moments late Geodude fainted as well.

"So where's the gym leader?" But the girls weren't listening; they had run off crying about their distressing defeat.

Before he knew what was happening Nate was preparing to battle the two boys. "Poliwag and Spinarak come on out!" A small blue tadpole with a swirl on it's front and a spider with a spiked barb appeared.

"Taillow and Charmander, Go!"

"Poliwag use bubble!" Poliwag shot a bubble across the battlefield and it hit Charmander before Nate could do a thing. Charmander looked tired already.

"HA… come on Nate… pull it together…" Zoe half-encouraged half-berated. Nate began to think of a good strategy when, "what on earth is going on here?"

A tall slim woman with long vivid red hair strode out across the field. She wore a knee length brown skirt, long socks and a black jumper. You could tell from her physique that she was young however the bags under her eyes disagreed. Her voice was kind but authoritative at the same time. The two boys returned their pokemon and ran up to the woman.

"Ms. Tucker, Ms. Tucker, they wanna battle you!"

"What… no… I wanna battle the gym leader…" Nate demanded, thoroughly tired of battling randoms.

"Sorry to disappoint you… but I'm afraid, I am the gym leader." She giggled.

"WHAT!" cried Zoe and Nate.

"Mum, are you gonna battle?" asked one the curly red headed boy.

"MUM!" Chorused Zoe and Nate.

**Thank you for reviewing again Amorean**

**And for giving me the character of Ms. Tucker **

**Everyone else please review!**

**I will try to continue quickly**

**But I have exams (LONG)**


	5. Contests and Gym Battles!

"I don't understand…" Nate said slowly, "How can you be the Pewter City gym Leader? Where's Brock?"

Nara laughed warmly and curled a piece of her red hair back behind her ear. "Haven't you heard? Brock was offered a place in the Elite Four. He's there right now."

"So you're the gym leader?" said Zoe disdainfully, looking the skinny woman up and down.

"For the moment at least," chuckled Nara, the wrinkles around her eyes crinkling as she smiled. "I used to run a Pokemon trainer centre and Brock was one of my students. When he decided to go he had to find someone to replace him at the gym. I guess as I'm one of the few residents of Pewter town who can beat him, he figured I could handle the job." Zoe raised an eyebrow at this, eyeing the poke balls strapped to Nara's waist.

"Unfortunately, I was unable to stay at the gym and look after this lot," she gestured to her four ginger children, who huddled round her, tugging her skirt and begging her for hugs. "So I had to close down the gym and move all the battles to the playground here."  
Zoe yawned loudly, "Great story. Now can I just battle you and get my badge?"

Nara burst out laughing, "I see you're the sort to get right to the point eh? Very well." Nara strode across the playground to a drawn out concrete square, clearly designed for Pokemon battles. "We will have a one on one battle, first to KO their opponent wins."

"Awesome! I'm up first!" cried Zoe, pushing past Nate to get into the trainer semi-circles drawn out on the concrete.

"Wonderful. Nate, I'll play you afterwards. Johnny, Annie, Jack and Emily will act as referees for our match." The four kids ran giggling into the refereeing box, excited to be involved in another Pokemon battle.

"Ok Zoe, you can see what pokemon I'm going to use before you choose yours. Sudowoodo I choose you!" Nara's poke ball opened in a flash of light revealing a small tree made from rock which bopped happily from side to side.

"Ok I'm ready! Squirtle come on out!"

Squirtle's eyes glinted as the two pokemon prepared to do battle.

* * *

"It's time for the semi-final!" screamed the MC as Mac and Allegra took their places opposite one another. "These two combatants will fight it out two on two to decide who's going through to the final and has a chance to earn that glorious Pewter Ribbon! Our combatants must use beautiful contest moves to lower their opponent's score whilst at the same time fighting a gruelling battle. Now let the battle begin!"

"Pikachu, Eevee, let's do this thing," cried Allegra throwing out two poke balls. A small yellow and brown striped mouse appeared, sparks crackling from its cheeks. Beside it a small brown fox appeared, it's fluffy white tail waving happily.

"Alright, Corphish, Bulbasaur, come on out!" Yelled Mac, revealing his determined fighters.

"Eevee, quick attack now!"

"Corphish, use harden in front of Bulbasaur." As Eevee sprinted towards them, Corphish glowed silver, his armour becoming even stronger.

"Eevee, slow down and use sand attack!" Eevee skidded to a halt, kicking a wave of sand into Corphish, causing it to totter; it's eyes clamped shut.

"Now, Eevee and Pikachu use quick attack together on Bulbasaur." Allegra's two pokemon flitted across the stage, flanking Corphish and Bulbasaur from either side.

"NO! Corphish quick! Use vice grip on Pikachu. Bulbasaur, Razor Leaf on Eevee!" Bulbasaur shot a flurry of twisted leafs crashing into Eevee, causing it to stumble and fall. However, Corphish, still blinded from the sand, was unable to connect with Pikachu, allowing it to sprint through and smash headfirst into Bulbasaur.

Mac grimaced as Bulbasaur whined and his score dwindled on the electronic board. Allegra was down to 94 whereas Mac was already reaching into his seventies.

Bulbasaur got up slowly, breathing heavily, beside it Corphish shook the remaining sand from it's eyes and readied itself for another attack.

"Corphish, Bubble beam! Bulbasaur, Vine Whip!" Both pokemon surged forwards towards Allegra's side of the field.

"Pikachu, Double Team!" Suddenly dozens of Pikachus filled the field and Corphish and Bulbasaur looked around confused as bubbles and vines soared straight through them.

"Eevee, Shadow Ball! Pikachu, thunderbolt!" Bulbasaur and Corphish were thrown back towards Mac, who gasped as his score fell down to 35. He watched, filled with fear as both of his pokemon struggled to stand. He was filled with a sudden desire to run away.

* * *

"Squirtle, finish it with water gun!" shrieked Zoe, determination shining on her face. The badly bruised turtle unleashed a jet of foaming water, throwing Sudowoodo lifelessly to the floor.

"Sudowoodo is unable to battle! The winner is Zoe Paine from Pallet Town!" Zoe screamed with excitement, rushing onto the field and pulling her Squirtle into a bone-crushing hug.

"We did it! We did it Squirtle! You were amazing!" she cried bouncing from one foot to another. "Come on Nara! Gimme the Boulder badge!"

Nodding happily, Nara reached inside her coat and pulled out a velvet box. Inside were several Boulder Badges pinned into the fabric.

"Zoe, you battled fantastically and I'm proud to present you with the Boulder Badge! I wish you good luck on your adventure and I hope to have a chance to battle you again sometime."

"Count on it!" Zoe replied with a grin, pinning her badge onto her t-shirt.

"Ok, Nate you're up," said Nara, gesturing for Nate to take Zoe's place, "Same rules, one on one. I will use Mankey!" Nara threw out a poke ball, which revealed a small monkey type creature, which snarled ferociously.

Nate nodded slowly, his hand moving amongst his poke balls, not entirely sure which to choose. Finally he grasped one and threw it out yelling, "Taillow, I choose you!"

The bird squawked loudly, excited and ready to battle, deep in his mind Nate wished he could be as confident.

"Mankey, growl!" Ordered Nara. Mankey darted forwards and unleashed a vicious howl and Nate noticed Taillow back off a little, it's eyes filled with what looked like doubt.

"Taillow, don't be afraid! Hit it with Quick attack." Taillow shot forwards, but Nate noticed it was slightly slower than normal.

"Scratch, now!" Mankey took advantage of Taillow's fear lashing out and cutting it across its chest. "Now Mankey, whilst Taillow's stunned hit it with high jump kick!" Mankey launched itself into the air, smashing Taillow with a powerful kick, sending it down into the ground with a resounding thud.

"Taillow, no! You can do it buddy, get back up!" Taillow struggled back up to its feet.

"Mankey, don't let it get back in the air. Low kick, now!"

Mankey span into a sweeping kick but Taillow dodged it just in time, flitting back into the air, causing Mankey to stumble and trip.

"Yes Taillow! Good work! Now while he's down, Focus Energy!"

Taillow's wings started to glow, as Mankey pushed itself back on its feet, ready for more.

"Mankey, go for another scratch."

"Taillow dodge it!"

Taillow's superior speed was starting to show through as it shot past Mankey's claws.

"Mankey, go for a High Jump kick!"

"Taillow, keep dodging!"

Mankey launched itself into the air, foot outstretched, but at the last moment, Taillow darted just out of reach, leaving Mankey to tumble back down into the hard concrete.

"Now Taillow, use wing attack!" roared Nate, his eyes blazing with exhilaration. Taillow began to beat it's wings rapidly, before swooping down into Mankey and throwing it onto it's back.

"Before he gets up! Use peck!" Taillow slammed down into Mankey's chest, beak first, causing Mankey to squeal in pain and then lie still.

"Mankey is unable to battle! The winner is Nate Marlow from Pallet Town!"

Nate fell to his knees cheering, as Zoe went wild from the sidelines. Taillow fluttered, exhausted, back to Nate's shoulder and promptly fell asleep against his neck.

Laughing, Nate returned Taillow to its poke ball and went across to Nara to receive his Boulder Badge. All the while saying in his head, "Look out Logan, here I come!"

* * *

"Pikachu charge the Shadow ball with a thundershock!" yelled Allegra, as her Eevee created a swirling ball of purple, Pikachu's thundershock caused the ball to crackle and spark violently as it flew across the field towards Mac's battered team.

"Corphish, Protect! Cried Mac. Corphish darted in front of Bulbasaur, but it was too weak to perform protect effectively, the shadow ball smashed through Corphish, throwing it, unconscious, to the floor.

"Uh oh. With Corphish KO'd, looks like Mac's gonna have to battle 2 on 1!" Yelled the MC, watching as Mac's score dropped even lower. It was obvious that Mac could only take one more hit whereas Allegra's score was still almost full.

"Corphish, return! You did great Corphish," Mac whispered, clipping the poke ball back to his waist.

Bulbasaur, let's go! Trap Pikachu with a Vine whip!" Bulbasaur, shot out long snakelike green vines, which ensnared Pikachu, lifting it up off the ground.

"Now, poison powder!" Bulbasaur shot out a haze of poison, causing Pikachu to cough. Mac smiled as, for once, Allegra's score dropped a bit.

"Eevee, lets finish this with bite!" Mac gasped, caught off guard, as Eevee jumped at Bulbasaur teeth bared.

"And there goes the battle! Allegra Sauverget is the winner and she will move onto the Final! But let's give a big hand to Mac Frasier, for his performance!" The crowd erupted with cheers and Mac smiled a weak smile, kneeling down to congratulate his fatigued Bulbasaur.

"You were amazing Bulbasaur," he whispered stroking it's back, "don't worry, next time we'll win!"

* * *

"The winner is Allegra Sauverget!"

Mac watched with a small smile as Allegra vaulted her way onto the podium her Pikachu and Eevee dancing happily alongside her. She grinned widely as the Judges handed her the Pewter City Ribbon. She held it above her head to show to the adoring fans.

Mac gave her a half wave from where he was standing before heading off to join his two friends.

Their two boulder badges glinted in the dying light. Nate watched as the sun slowly began to sink beneath the mountain up ahead. Beside him Charmander cut through the grass with a look of deep concentration, above, Taillow soared happily, calling out to wild Taillow's nearby, below, Wurmple slid through the grass, looking for tasty morsels. Nate wondered what his brother would say if he could see Nate's team.

"Come on guys, let's go," said Nate, "Next stop Mt. Moon!"

**I know I haven't updated for ages  
But I kinda got sidetracked by my other stories  
But now I'm back and I hoped you enjoyed!**

Just to say I don't need anymore characters  
As I am sorted but thanks very much for your characters  
Nara was a great addition  
and I will try to include aspects of Santiago and Ann-Marie

Thanks for reading :D


	6. Mt Moon

"Man I hate caves," muttered Zoe, ducking down to avoid any low hanging cave roofs. Mac was forced to squint in the pitch black, with only Charmander's tail to light the way. They were constantly stuck in semi darkness.

"I think it's just a little further until we're out," said Mac, stumbling over a rock that he didn't notice. Suddenly an enormous roar echoed through the cave, throwing Charmander to the floor and plunging the group into darkness.

"Um Zoe?" said a small voice from the darkness

"Yeh Mac?" answered an annoyed Zoe

"That wasn't you roaring was it?" asked Mac timidly.

"No Mac, no I'm afraid not," Zoe said between gritted teeth.

As the light from Charmander's tail relit the cave, Nate tried to survey the cave up ahead. "Hmm, wonder what roared? It could have been a…" Nate was cut off by a piercing scream. Looking worriedly to one another, the three trainers broke into a run.

* * *

"Cyndaquil, I don't know what to do!" wailed Kaori, tears sliding down her face. The Machoke roared again, flexing its muscles aggressively and advancing on Cyndaquil. However Cyndaquil did not back off, in fact it almost seemed to edge a little bit closer, the flame on its back surging with anger.

"Cyndaquil, what should I do?" Yelled Kaori, edging back into the cave wall, her face white with fear. But Cyndaquil seemed to know what to do, stepping towards Machoke, staring him straight in the eye. Kaori noticed, from the corner of her eye, three figures appear from the gloom; they stopped as they saw Machoke and Cyndaquil and stood silently.

Cyndaquil opened its mouth and unleashed a jet of flame that crashed into Machoke, throwing it off balance.

"Good flamethrower Cyndaquil!" said a proud Kaori, wiping the tears from her face. She watched as Cyndaquil delivered a smashing tackle, throwing Machoke to the ground. Cyndaquil continued to glare angrily at Machoke for several seconds and then, after making sure it was down for good, it returned to Kaori's side nuzzling affectionately into her leg.

Zoe looked the small trainer up and down. She had short brown hair in bunches and couldn't have been taller than 5 foot, she was Asian and had beautiful blue eyes and a cute pointed nose. She was wearing a tie-die T-shirt which hung down to almost her knees and dark blue jeans. Zoe watched as Kaori knelt down to Cyndaquil thanking it for all it had done.

"Hey girl!" Shouted Zoe, catching Kaori's attention. "Hurry up and catch that Machoke!"

Kaori looked confused for a moment and then realised what Zoe meant, throwing out a poke ball at the Machoke. The red and white ball shook from side to side before a loud PING rang out across the cave.

Kaori bent down to pick up the ball as Mac, Nate and Zoe hurried over to her.

"Are you alright?" Asked Mac, as Charmander and Cyndaquil introduced themselves to one another.

"Who are you?" Questioned Kaori cautiously.

"I'm Nate and this is Zoe and Mac," Nate said, "and you are?"

"Kaori and if you don't mind I have to go find my… friend," she mumbled not catching their eyes.

"You've lost someone?"

"Yes a… close friend…" muttered Kaori half to herself as she grabbed a poke ball from her waist. Dropping it on the floor, it opened to reveal a pink blob with a four-leafed plant on its back.

"Hoppip, use flash!" Suddenly a blinding white flash lit up the entire cave around them, seeping into even the darkest of corners.

"Wow Kaori, that's pretty useful, where'd you learn that? Asked Mac, looking around at the cavern, now bathed in light.

"You don't know flash? Don't you have the Boulder Badge?" Questioned Kaori, beginning to walk down the cavern.

"Yeh I got the Boulder Badge," bragged Zoe, stroking the shiny token on her shirt. "Why?"

"Once you have the badge, you can use Flash, outside of battle," she said quietly, slightly nervous of Zoe. "With Cyndaquil's help I was able to get the Boulder Badge and now I can go through Mt.Moon with enough light to not get lost. Or so I'd hoped…" Kaori trailed off sadly.

"Don't worry Kaori, we'll help you find… uh who are you looking for?"

"My friend… Griff," answered Kaori, biting her lip nervously.

"Well with your Hoppip's flash, I'm sure we'll find him in…" Mac tried to reassure Kaori but he was cut off by a yell from further along the cave.

"Kaori! HELP!"

With a strange feeling of déjà vu Mac, Nate and Zoe burst into a run, Kaori leading the way at a flat out sprint. After a few minutes of hard running, the three of them were gasping for breath and very glad as Kaori skidded to a halt. They weren't glad for very long.  
An enormous dinosaur stood before them, stamping its feet on the ground angrily.

"That's a Tyranitar!" Gasped Mac, taking a nervous step backwards.  
But Kaori stepped closer, anger burning in her eyes. "Leave Griff alone!" She bellowed, beckoning for Cyndaquil to get by her side. Zoe noticed a small blonde haired boy, lying unconscious, just in front of Tyranitar, a poke ball still in his hand.

"Cyndaquil! Flamethrower now!" Cried Kaori. Cyndaquil reeled back on its hind legs and then unleashed a stream of fire. Tyranitar turned away from Griff and stared angrily at Kaori, the flames washing off its body like a gentle breeze.

"Kaori! It's too powerful! Let me help! Charmander, Ember!" Shouted Nate, the flames of his Charmander joining those from Cyndaquil. But it didn't seem to make any difference, as Tyranitar continued to take the fire unflinchingly.

Then, without warning, it slammed its fists into the ground, throwing up the earth around Cyndaquil and Charmander. As the dust cleared, the unconscious bodies of Charmander and Cyndaquil revealed themselves.

"No," whispered Kaori, "Cyndaquil…"

"Bad luck guys!" Laughed Zoe, "I want this Tyranitar on my team! Poochyena, come on out!"

"This is going to be hard Zoe!" Warned Mac, "Bulbasaur let's go!"  
"Wurmple, help them out!" Roared Nate, the three pokemon amassing in front of Tyranitar.

Kaori stood, petrified, wishing she could do something, anything, to help Griff. Squirtle, Bulbasaur and Wurmple launched into their attack; Squirtle soaking it with water gun; Bulbasaur smacking it with vines and Wurmple firing its sticky string shot, slowing the huge Dinosaur down considerably.

"Kaori?" Mumbled a confused Griff, stirring slightly on the floor.  
"Griff, come here quickly!" Begged Kaori, watching the Tyranitar from the corner of her eye.

Suddenly another blinding white flash, lit up the cave around them. But this time it wasn't Hoppip's flash but Wurmple glowing brightly.

"Wurmple? Are you… evolving?" Whispered an amazed Nate. Bulbasaur, Squirtle and even Tyranitar stopped for a moment and watched as Wurmple's silhouette changed slowly into that of a cocoon.

"Wow that's incredible," said Mac, filled with awe. Tyranitar roared angrily, apparently not liking the lack of attention, and pulled an enormous rock from the cave wall, lifting it ferociously above its head.

"Squirtle look out!"

"Bulbasaur, NO!"

But Zoe and Mac's cries fell on deaf ears, as Bulbasaur, Squirtle and the newly evolved Wurmple were caught beneath the rock and all three of them KO'd instantly.

"Damn," Cursed Zoe.

"Its so strong," said Mac, returning his Bulbasaur with a sigh.

"It's up to me then," said Kaori, more to herself than anyone else.  
"Machoke, lets go!" she cried, releasing her newly caught pokemon.

"Machoke, Low Kick!" Machoke prepared to kick. Then, instead, it turned and gave Kaori a contemptuous glare before sitting down defiantly between its trainer and its opponent.

"What? Machoke, Low Kick now!" Insisted Kaori, but Machoke merely groaned and turned its head away from her. "Why won't you listen to me?" she whined.

"Machoke's too high a level! He won't listen to you, because he doesn't think you're a worthy trainer!" Yelled Mac, backing away from Tyranitar as it advanced menacingly towards them.

"Machoke, please!" begged Kaori, her eyes brimming once more with tears as Tyranitar began to lift another rock. With a sigh, Machoke rose to its feet, stretching its shoulders, preparing to fight. Without waiting for a command from Kaori, Machoke launched into combat with Tyranitar. Tyranitar stumbled back, dropping its rock mere inches from Griff's still body, causing Kaori to gasp fearfully.

Zoe and Mac were forced to dive out of the way as Tyranitar sent Machoke spinning towards them. Machoke's eyes widened in shock as Tyranitar, now angrier than ever, pounded across the cave towards it. Kaori couldn't bare to watch as Tyranitar and Machoke locked themselves in combat, punching and kicking each other furiously. The four trainers were powerless, unable to stop the raging battle.

* * *

Griff opened his eyes slowly. Mistaking the darkness for that of the cave, Griff tried to get up, for fear of Tyranitar. But as he tried to lift his head a painful throbbing in the back of his head prevented him and he flopped back down on the grass.

Strange. Grass? In a cave?

This cave was strange. Lights shone faintly in the ceiling, the ground was strangely moist and it seemed almost alive with noise, chirps of birds and whistles and clicks from Bug pokemon. Then, something strange loomed into his vision. A bizarre pink blob, looking down at him, bright yellow eyes glowing on its body.

"Hoppip!" the thing cried joyfully and Griff slowly pieced together what was going on. This thing was not a thing. It was Hoppip, Kaori's pokemon and good friend. He wasn't in the cave; he was in the fresh air, lying on the wet dewy ground. He felt his belt and was happy to find his poke ball still safe and sound.

Suddenly he remembered what he had found in Mt. Moon and sprang to his feet, ignoring the pain screaming out from his body. He spotted Kaori sitting a few feet away by a roaring campfire. Hurrying over, he searched frantically for his back pack, ignoring her lectures about not running off. Pushing through several people he didn't recognise, he hurried into his tent, which had already been set up.

There, sitting on his sleeping bag, was the thing he had desired; his back pack and inside it, three shining moonstones, hot out of Mt. Moon. With a sigh of relief, he slung his backpack over his shoulder and wandered out to the fire, becoming curious about the three strangers.

"…Ever, ever run off again, you hear me?" finished Kaori, red in the face with rage.

"Yeh, yeh whatever," said Griff, waving Kaori away. "So who are you lot?" he asked, bemused. Nate looked down on the small blonde boy and introduced himself and his friends once more.

"You guys are trainers?" asked Griff, his eyes shining with excitement. "That's awesome!" he squeaked. Rushing between the three trainers, he demanding to be shown their pokemon. After several more animated introductions, Griff finally agreed to sit down and discuss the events inside the cave.

"So what did you run off for?" questioned Zoe.

"These!" Griff giggled, opening his backpack. He slipped his hand inside and slipped out three beautiful shining Moonstones. "Check these out!" he cried holding them up, the light from the fire dancing across each stone. Kaori couldn't help but smile at Griff's excited expression.

Griff jumped to his feet, his eyes set on the horizon. "Cerulean City look out! Because with these Moon stones, the Cascade Badge is as good as mine!"

**Two new Characters  
An unexplained evolution  
And some new pokemon  
Please read and review if you have the time  
**


	7. Cerulean Water Tournament

**Cerulean Gym Water Tournament**

**Entrants: Water pokemon ONLY**

**Prize: Cascade Badge**

**Gym Leaders: Daisy, Violet Lily**

**Start Time: 14:00 **

**End Time: When we have out winner!**

**Entry forms inside **

**Hope you enjoy!!!**

"WHAT!" Shrieked Nate, in disbelief. "Water pokemon? ONLY?!!?!" He screamed, his voice rising into a crescendo of anger.

"Bad luck Nate," Zoe giggled, "looks like I wont have the chance to kick your ass in this tournament." Pushing past Nate, Zoe walked into the gym, leaving him to stare sadly at the gloriously colourful poster outside.

"Sorry dude," said Griff as he too entered the gym, his hand clutched around one of the poke balls on his waist.

"Mac, buddy," Nate soothed, "I'm gonna need to borrow your Corphish real quick," he said, smiling a toothy grin.

"Sorry dude," chorused Mac, "I'm entering this one," and with that, Mac swung open the door and left it to slam shut on Nate's dreams of pokemon master.

"Bad luck Nate," Kaori said sympathetically, putting an arm on Nate's shoulder.  
"Maybe you can come back and try again later," Kaori said encouragingly, but Nate ignored her, instead grabbing her by the hand and pulling her along the street.

**"**If I need a water pokemon, I will catch a water pokemon!" Yelled Nate valiantly, dragging Kaori alongside him.

"The tournament doesn't start for one and a half hours. That's plenty of time to catch, train and practice with a pokemon…" Nate trailed off suddenly feeling considerably less confident. But not one to let troubles get him down, Nate hurried on to the edge of Cerulean City.

Letting go of Kaori he released his pokemon from their balls "Charmander, Taillow, Silcoon, come on out!"

"Hoppip, Cyndaquil, you could use some fresh air too!" The five pokemon looked inquisitively at their trainers before rushing off between the trees, calling happily to one another.

Taillow fluttered ahead cockily, taunting Charmander and Cyndaquil. They responded with powerful flamethrowers. Using the little sparrow as a moving target. Meanwhile Hoppip was becoming increasingly interested in Silcoon, using its leaves to examine the cocoon. Kaori laughed as Hoppip hoisted Silcoon onto its back and began to carry it.

"Looks like Hoppip's made a friend," sniggered Kaori, but Nate wasn't paying any attention to her. His eyes were scanning the area around him for pokemon, his ears were listening for the cries of pokemon, every inch of his body was tensed, ready to move when he needed to. He noticed Weedles and Caterpies moving in the grass, he spotted a spinarak creeping across a tree and a Furret nuzzling between the bushes.

"I don't think there are many water pokemon around here," mumbled Kaori, looking away from Nate. She tugged her hair back behind her ear and bit her lip awkwardly in the total silence between the two of them.

Suddenly Nate broke into a run, beckoning for Charmander to follow him. Kaori, at first, was confused but then she noticed the Poliwag zipping frantically away across the grass.

"Charmander! Metal Claw!" Cried Nate, chasing furiously after the blue tadpole. Ahead, Poliwag glanced back over its shoulder to see Charmander just behind, claws glowing. Poliwag let out a terrified squeak, attempting to run even faster. Charmander followed in hot pursuit, Nate just behind and Kaori, Taillow and Cyndaquil a little further back.

Charmander's metal claw smashed into Poliwag, throwing it to the floor with a squeal.

'Nice work, Charmander. Go poke ball!" Yelled Nate, hurling a poke ball at the tiny blue tadpole. The poke ball opened and absorbed Poliwag in a streak of white light. The poke ball shook from side to side, Nate watching it with gritted teeth.

Then, suddenly, the ball burst open unleashing Poliwag. Poliwag took one look at Charmander, and sprinted off into the safety of some nearby bushes. With a groan Nate bent down to pick up his poke ball, all the time watching the arrows on his watch.

**

* * *

**1 hour and several escaped pokemon later and Nate was close to giving up. He slumped miserably on a bench; in front of him Hoppip chased a Beautifly happily around the grass. "What if I don't catch anything in time?" wailed Nate. 

**"**Nate?" Said Kaori slowly, "Where's your Silcoon?"

"Huh? It's right over…" Nate trailed off as he realised that Silcoon was no longer on Hoppip's back. "Is that Silcoon?" asked Nate, staring at the Beautifly that was flitting around him.

"Oh, it's beautiful!" sighed Kaori, holding out her hand to let Beautifly land lightly on her.

"Come on Beautifly, let's go catch us some pokemon!" Cried Nate, once more filled with excitement. Beckoning for Beautifly to follow, Nate hurried off into the thick grass. But after a few steps he realised something was wrong. Beautifly remained on Hoppip's back, searching for nectar in Hoppip's leaves.

"Beautifly, let's go catch some pokemon!" Insisted Nate, trying to grab Beautifly, but it fluttered just out of his reach.

"Nate, I don't think that Beautifly trusts you just yet," said Kaori. "It's just like my Machoke," she muttered.

"But the tournament starts in half an hour!" whimpered Nate, but Beautifly merely returned to Hoppip's back, trilling sweetly.

"Fine! Charmander, Taillow, lets go show Beautifly how it's done!" Yelled Nate, sprinting off into the forest, with Charmander beside him and Taillow just above.

* * *

"Wow what a great turn out!" Cried Daisy, the crowd sitting in the stands burst into applause.

Daisy, Violet and Lily were standing on a podium, in front on an enormous pool of water, filled with coral and water plants. Around the pool stood the challengers, all of them pumped and ready for battle. Zoe, Mac and Griff stood in a line right opposite the three Gym Leaders. Zoe eyed up her opposition, all the while contemplating her strategy.

"We've got ten great contenders here, all battling for this!" Exclaimed Violet, pulling something from her pocket, "The Cascade Badge!" The applause was deafening as everyone admired the blue water droplet. Griff imagined what if would feel like to hold the badge and knew, in his heart, that it was his destiny to win it.

"The tournament is all versus all. Last pokemon standing is the winner!" Shrieked Lily, causing the crowd to explode with even more cheers and chants.

"Anything else sis?" asked Violet.

"I don't think so sis," answered Daisy with a smile.

"Then let's get going!" Shouted Lily. All three girls raised their right arms high into the air, a poke ball clutched in each of their hands. Then with a synchronized spin all three girls hurled their poke balls into the pool. The three plumes of white formed into a small blue seahorse, a white seal with a horn on its head and a starfish with a pink gem lodged in its chest.

"Horsea, Seel Staryu are ready for battle! Now contenders you…" But Violet was cut off by Nate bursting through the doors of the gym.

"I'm here! I'm here!" He gasped, having just ran all the way from the edge of town. "I've caught my pokemon! I'm ready for the battle!" He grinned towards the three girls on the podium. All three of them looked thoroughly unimpressed.

"Excuse me!" Seethed Daisy, "But sign up ended a half hour ago."

"Now if you don't mind," hissed Violet, "We want to start our tournament!"

"Please," begged Nate, "I've been rushing around trying to catch a pokemon for the last two hours. I'm sorry I'm a little late but I'm desperate to get that Cascade Badge." After Nate finished there was complete silence as Nate, the crowd, the contenders and even Horsea, Seel and Staryu watched the three girls on the podium. Lily, Violet and Daisy turned to one another and had a quick conversation in muffled whispers. Then they all nodded and turned to face Nate.

"Fine," said Violet irritably, "Hurry up and get ready."

Nate hurried across to Zoe who was shaking her head at him incredulously. "You're going down," she mouthed to him as he took his place in between Zoe and Mac.

"Ok trainers! Lets start the tournament."

The sounds of poke balls opening echoed all around the gym. Zoe's Squirtle dived into the pool happily, Griff's poke ball revealed a Totodile which snapped its jaw defiantly. Mac's Corphish snapped its claws together, watching the other pokemon with a glint in its eye. Nate threw out his poke ball, the white streak slowly forming into the shape of a Buizel.

"Wow! You caught a Buizel?" Gasped Griff, Mac laughed as the Buizel turned cartwheels in the water.

"So Nate… You think you're brand new Buizel stands a chance against my trusty Squirtle? You don't have a chance." Snarled Zoe, clearly determined to win.

An enormous projection screen rolled down from the ceiling to cover the wall behind the podium. On it flashed a timer:  
3, 2, 1... GO!

The pool instantly became a frenzy of movement as 14 water pokemon charged into battle. Squirtle headed straight for Buizel, eager to show off its skills but Buizel held its own, superbly dodging Squirtle's bubble attack and its numerous tackles. In the meantime Totodile came under attention from Violet's Seel straight away. Seel smashed into Totodile with Take down, throwing Totodile through a forest of coral.

Meanwhile Corphish was battling with Goldeen, unleashing bubble beams upon the elegant fish. It tried retorting with a flail but Mac saw it coming and ordered a Vice grip. Corphish grabbed Goldeen's fins and cut into them mercilessly. Suddenly a Poliwag burst into Corphish with a body slam, throwing both Corphish and Goldeen into the air. However whilst Corphish dove back into the pool Goldeen was thrown onto the sidelines, unconscious.  
An automated voice boomed out across the gym as a picture of Goldeen appeared at the bottom of the screen, "In 14th place, Alison and her Goldeen!"

Nate watched as the girl returned her Goldeen and burst into tears. With added determination he ordered a swift from Buizel, which went crashing into a nearby Corsola. Following up with a sonic boom, Buizel secured 13th place for Steve and his Corsola.  
Zoe watched Nate angrily as Buizel darted off through the water away from Squirtle.

In Squirtle's attempt to follow, it was cornered by three pokemon. A Luvdisc, Lily's Staryu and an Octillery.

Staryu fired a swift, Luvdisc shot forth a water gun and Octillery unleashed an aurora beam. All three attacks spiralled towards Squirtle.

"Squirtle, Withdraw!" roared Zoe at the last moment. Squirtle pulled its limbs inside its shell and the attacks bounced harmlessly of its armour. Zoe then ordered a Rapid Spin, wary of getting hit by another triple attack. As they saw Squirtle's spin commence Staryu and Octillery backed off, however Luvdisc stayed put, trying in vain to use a sweet kiss. Unfortunately Squirtle had already reached the hapless heart, and gave it a powerful hit, throwing it out of the water, the second hit finished the job.

"In 12th Emily and her Luvdisc!" The picture of Luvdisc slid onto the screen above Corsola and Goldeen, Mac glanced nervously up at it, wondering when he would join the list.

"Totodile, Ice fang!" Yelled Griff. Totodile launched itself through the water and clamped its teeth onto Daisy's Horsea. Daisy gasped as Horsea was encased in ice. Totodile darted forward to finish it with super power but was stopped by Buizel streaking past and knocking Totodile out of the way. Horsea broke free from the ice surging off away from Totodile.

On the sidelines Griff was forced to dodge out of the way as a Poliwag was thrown out of the pool right at him.

"In 11th place, Grace's Poliwag! Only 10 pokemon left!" Announced the speakers and the audience went wild with excitement.

"Corphish use Night Slash!" Cried Mac; over the moon that he was one of the final ten.

Corphish's claw glowed purple as it swung at Daisy's Horsea. Horsea dodged and spun out of the way, putting agility to good use. Then Corphish opened its claw and unleashed a bubble beam catching Horsea off guard. Horsea was thrown backwards into the path of a Finneon. Finneon created a water pulse, driving Corphish down into the depths of the pool and throwing Horsea all the way out of it.

"In 10th place Daisy and her Horsea!" Cried the speakers. Daisy stood still, her mouth wide open, unable to believe that she had come in 10th."Don't worry sis!" Said Violet, watching as her Seel clashed with Marill.

"Sit back and relax, I'll finish them off for you," promised Lily, ordering her Staryu to attack.

Corphish surfaced from the coral to find both Seel and Staryu focusing upon it. Seel's tail began to shine blue as it prepared an aqua tail. Meanwhile Staryu began to twist into a rapid spin.

"Corphish, use protect!" Shrieked Mac, glancing up at the podium.

Corphish surrounded itself in a green bubble as Seel's aqua tail smashed into it. Seel continued to thrash the protect with its tail as Staryu, now spinning like a buzz saw, moved closer and closer.

Suddenly the green bubble began to flicker and then slowly it died. Staryu spun into Corphish, throwing it back against the wall of the pool. Then Seel flew into Corphish with a take down, throwing it high into the air. Using Seel's back as a lift, Staryu jumped into the air, hitting Corphish once, twice, three times, four times; sending the crab crashing to the floor.

"In 9th place Mac and his Corphish!" Mac returned Corphish with a sigh, looking round to the others, they all ignored him, too intent on their battles. Mac slunk over to the stands, quickly finding Kaori, Cyndaquil, Charmander, Hoppip and Beautifly still perched on Hoppip's back.

"Ok Buizel, there's only 8 left, you're doing awesome!" Cried Nate.

"Totodile keep it up, we're going to win!" Squealed Griff, bursting with excitement.

"Ok Squirtle, time to finish off Buizel, water pulse!" Yelled Zoe.

Squirtle unleashed a pulse of water, causing the whole pool to erupt into waves. Buizel sped quickly away from Squirtle, using aqua jet to dive in and out of the water.

Suddenly the whole pool began to swirl as Finneon let out a whirlpool, trapping the other pokemon inside. Finneon then shot out a water gun, which went crashing into Marill, throwing it out of the pool.

"In 8th place Michael and his Marill," screamed out the speakers.

"Totodile, wait until the whirlpool gets you in the right place and then use Super Power!" Yelled Griff.

Totodile waited as the whirlpool span him towards Finneon and then grabbed it roughly, its muscles bulging angrily. With a roar Totodile sprang into the air hurling Finneon onto the bank alongside the unconscious Marill.

"In 7th place Lisa and her Finneon," a picture of Finneon slid onto the screen just above Marill and Corphish. The whirlpool slowly stopped and the remaining six pokemon spread out across the pool.

"Prepare to lose Nate!" Cried Zoe as her Squirtle crashed into Buizel slamming it into Violet's Seel. Seel turned around to face Buizel an ice beam charging up in its mouth. On the other side Squirtle began shooting out bubbles viciously.

"Buizel use Aqua Jet to get out of the way!" Shouted Nate.

Buizel darted out of the way just in time as both the ice beam and the bubble flew towards it. The ice beam and bubble collided with huge force, creating a wave of energy that shook the entire pool. Both Squirtle and Seel were thrown backwards and made dizzy from the amount of energy. Buizel, spotting Squirtle's vulnerability, raced back with Quick Attack.  
"Squirtle quick! Withdraw!" Squirtle, once more, pulled its limbs inside its shell and prepared for the impact from Buizel. Buizel smashed into Squirtle so hard that it began to spin like crazy.

"Squirtle turn that hit into a Rapid Spin!" shrieked Zoe, watching as Buizel backed off fearfully.

Squirtle span even faster than before and crashed, like some insane Ferris wheel, into Violet's Seel, throwing it far out of the pool.

"In 6th position Violet and her Seel!" Announced the automated voice once more, "We have only five trainers left! Lily, Zoe, Griff, Ethan and Nate!"

The crowd burst into an even greater cacophony of noise, as the final five continued to fight on. On the podium Violet fell to her knees in despair, tears forming in her big blue eyes.

"Totodile use Bite!"

"Buizel, Swift now!"

"Squirtle, Water Pulse!"

"Octillery, Psybeam!"

"Staryu, Gyro Ball!"

Attacks were rattled off, as the pokemon ducked and weaved around one another, constantly swapping opponents, ganging up and pushing their way through whole fleets of coral. Octillery used its feelers to latch onto Totodile, sucking its strength away slowly, Totodile tried to use super power but it seemed almost too weak to attack.

Suddenly from behind him, Totodile heard the sound of Staryu charging up. The pink spot on its belly glowed brightly and it unleashed an enormous beam of light. The hyper beam smashed into Totodile and Octillery, throwing them both out of the pool in an explosion of light and sound.

"In 5th place Ethan and his Octillery! In 4th place Griff and his Totodile!" Screamed the speakers and the crowd cheered Lily's name happily.

Griff hung his head sadly, he couldn't believe it, He had come so close but fallen before reaching the finish. "I will get that badge, one day," promised Griff to himself.

Staryu rested, needing to recharge after such a powerful attack. Zoe and Nate saw their chance ordering their pokemon to attack. Squirtle threw Staryu into the air with a water pulse. Then Buizel launched itself into the air and unleashed a razor wind, throwing Staryu, still spinning back onto the podium.

"In 3rd place Lily and her Staryu!" The voice echoed round the gym, "There are only two trainers left, Zoe and Nate!"

Zoe and Nate shot each other determined glares; the entire audience was on the edge of their seats, cheering, heckling and gasping as the fight shifted one way then the other.

For a moment it appeared as though Buizel had the edge but seconds later Squirtle would have turned the tables and be mounting a furious assault. For a while it seemed that Buizel might be about to lose but a timely razor wind saved it from defeat.

Squirtle used a water pulse, slamming Buizel into the wall of the pool. Nate winced as he saw Buizel's eyes glaze over, its body fall limp.

"Let's go for a water pulse!" Cried Zoe, sensing her opportunity to win.

Squirtle unleashed a sonic pulse of water; throwing Buizel up into the air, water from the pool sloshing noisily over the sides.

"Squirtle, finish it with rapid spin!" Yelled Zoe. She grinned to herself, almost feeling the Cascade Badge in her hand.

"Buizel, Razor wind! You can do it!" Roared Nate, defeat staring him in the face.

At the last moment, Buizel's eyes flashed open and it unleashed a devastating razor wind on Squirtle. The already spinning pokemon was spun out across the crowd, causing every single onlooker to let out a gasp of excitement and causing Zoe to grunt angrily.

"Squirtle, you gotta turn around!" Demanded Zoe.  
Mac, Griff and Kaori's mouths were opened wide as Squirtle spun low above the crowd, before returning to Buizel even faster than before.

"Buizel, no… uh" Panicked Nate, "Quick Attack, come on!" he blurted out frantically.

Buizel powered itself headfirst into the charging Squirtle with a resounding crash.

Every single pair of eyes in the gym watched as Buizel flew far down into the depths of the pool. At the same time Squirtle was thrown backwards away from Buizel, landing limply on the edge of the pool.

"In 2nd place Zoe and her Squirtle! Which means our winner is… Nate and his Buizel!"

Nate screamed with happiness, sprinting to the podium, where he pulled all three gym leaders into a bone-crushing hug.

The crowd cheered and chanted his name as Lily handed over the Cascade Badge. Raising the badge up to show the crowd, Nate noticed Kaori, Mac and Griff applauding animatedly.

Zoe was nowhere to be seen. But it didn't concern him. After all, it wasn't everyday he won a tournament. Pulling the sodden Buizel from the pool he held it tight to his chest, yelling his praises. Behind Nate a picture of Buizel and himself flashed jauntily on the screen.

* * *

She clasped at her hair with her hands, tears streaming down her face. The force of the emotion caused her to shake, her whole body rocking as the tears splattered onto the grass. She screamed, not words, but pure anguish. She pounded the floor with her fists, gasping wretchedly for air. The silhouette of the crying girl burned into the dying sun.

Then with a steely look, she rose to her feet, wiping the tears from her eyes. Slinging her rucksack back on her back from where she had thrown it, she began to march down the path out of Cerulean City, her face still red and blotchy from tears.

Hurrying out of the gym, Mac spotted Zoe just disappearing over the horizon and however much he called, she would not look back.

**I hope you liked it!  
I know it was really long…  
I decided to start writing the battles with more action and less commands  
Just imagine that the trainers are still giving the commands  
**


	8. A Rival to reckon with

"Charmander! Flame thrower now!" Roared Nate, his eyes set on the Bidoof in front of him.

Charmander opened its mouth and churned out a plume of flames, which swallowed Bidoof, with a squeal. From the sidelines Kaori, Mac and Griff cheered excitedly, predicting an imminent catch.

"Go poke ball!" Cried Nate, hurling the poke ball straight towards Bidoof. At the last moment an explosion of electricity burst from between the trees, throwing the poke ball away from Bidoof. Giggling happily, a Pachirisu darted away from the scene of its crime, Bidoof in tow.

"Damn that squirrel!" Cursed Nate, grabbing his poke ball from the floor. Nate had reason to curse after all he had grown to know this particular electric squirrel extremely well. For the past few days the exceedingly mischievous Pachirisu had turned up everywhere; to make sure that they didn't catch any pokemon or get much sleep for that matter. Every five minutes it would appear, shock them all and then scurry off back into the forest.

But despite this they will all in a pretty good mood. At first it had seemed strange to travel without Zoe but Griff was chatty enough to easily fill the void and even Kaori had become more talkative as she got to know Mac and Nate. At the same time Beautifly and Hoppip had become inseparable buddies, whilst Charmander, Cyndaquil and Totodile seemed to be becoming more like rivals.

Bulbasaur mainly kept to itself but even it could hardly resist an action packed game of Pokemon Tag. Taillow and Corphish spent most of their time hunting avidly, always looking for a battle with any bigger pokemon and Skitty, a pokemon whom Griff had gathered the moonstones for, spent most of its time singing quietly beneath the shade of nearby trees. In fact, the only pokemon who wasn't fitting in was strapped firmly in its poke ball around Kaori's waist.

"Are you ever going to let Machoke out?" Asked Mac.

"What?" asked Kaori, confused. Then she remembered her recent catch and rested her hand tentatively on its poke ball. "I think," she began, "I think I'm going to keep it in its poke ball for now, after all it wont listen to me."

"It will never listen to you if you don't train it," replied Griff, stroking his Skitty absent-mindedly.

"To be honest with you Griff, I'm a little scared of Machoke…" she mumbled, tugging her sleeves over her hands.

Kaori had tried. She really had. She had let it out and tried talking to it and making friends, but it only ignored her. Machoke didn't get along with the other pokemon, refused to return to its poke ball when asked and wouldn't even eat the food that they gave it. In fact the only person who Machoke had some sort of vague respect for was Nate. It liked to sit and watch as Nate had battles with passing trainers or wild pokemon and as it watched its eyes grew wide with excitement.

Nate had been battling a lot recently. After winning the Cerulean tournament and beating Nara, he was very confident. Despite his somewhat reluctant Beautifly he had managed to fight and defeat a number of rookie trainers along the route and nothing could dampen his spirits, not even an escaped Bidoof.

Mac, on the other hand, had stayed away from battles since Cerulean Gym. All he could think about was the upcoming Vermillion Contest and his failure at the Pewter Contest. He didn't know what it was, but something attracted him to the contests, the buzz of spectators and the glorious battles. He loved the way that the battles didn't just rely on brute strength, but also good timing and beautiful attacks.

He was sure that he knew about battling since the Cerulean tournament, but all the same he was worried about the Vermillion Contest. He wasn't sure if he could win it with Corphish and Bulbasaur alone and because of this he had been searching for strong pokemon to add to his collection. So far, however, he had not been successful.

Mac was thrown from his train of thought by a loud squealing from up ahead. They all ran along the path to discover Buizel lying flat on the floor, its fur badly singed.

"Go poke ball!" cried a voice, a poke ball whizzing out from between the trees. The ball opened and enveloped Buizel in white light. But then a flicker of energy threw the poke ball back into the air. Straight back into the gloved hand of an angry trainer.

"This Buizel yours?" Sneered the trainer, flicking his long dark hair out of his eyes.

"Yeh, why'd you attack it?" demanded Nate, checking Buizel to make sure it was alright.

"It was so weak, I just assumed it was wild," laughed the trainer giving Nate a pitying look.

Nate gritted his teeth and looked this rude trainer up and down. He was tall and quite muscular with long dark hair over his eyes. A gold stud shone in his ear and a medallion adorned his neck. He was wearing an black and white shirt adorned with crazy patterns and swirls and on his legs he wore dark blue jeans. As he smiled he flashed a set of yellow gnarled teeth. But the thing Nate was most interested in were the set of poke balls around his waist.

"What's the big idea attacking my Buizel? Who are you?"

"Me?" Questioned the trainer, "Names Moby, and I," he smirked at them all, "am going to be the world's greatest pokemon master! Who are you pipsqueak?"

"My name is Nate, not PIPSQUEAK!" Seethed Nate stepping angrily towards Moby, "and if you want to be a "Pokemon master" then you have to beat me!"

Moby burst out with laughter, before realising that Nate was serious. "Really? You? Pipsqueak? Well if you want to get beaten, be my guest." He smiled, "Three on three, no substitutions, are you ready?" he questioned condescendingly.

"I'm ready," said Nate determinedly, his eyes locked on Moby.

"Kick his ass Nate!" cheered Griff from the sidelines. Kaori threw out a poke ball and the shape of Machoke appeared.

"Ok Machoke, I know you like to watch, so just be good and…" Kaori trailed off as Machoke began to walk away from her, settling itself between the shades of a nearby tree.

Kaori sighed, sitting down herself next to Hoppip and Beautifly, Mac seemed to have disappeared.

"Alright, then let's go!" Roared Moby, throwing out a poke ball. "Bayleef!"

The yellow dinosaur roared like its trainer, pawing the ground with its foot.

"Ok then, Charmander, go for it!" The orange lizard darted forwards in front of Nate.

"Ok, Moby, prepare to be destroyed! Fire always beats grass! Charmander, Flame thrower!" Charmander belched out a plume of flames directly at Bayleef.

"Bayleef, dodge it and use Magical Leaf!" Bayleef leaped out of the way just in time and spun its head throwing out a multicoloured leaf, which spiralled towards Charmander.

Charmander leaped into the air in an attempt to dodge it, but the leaf changed its course as well slamming into Charmander's stomach and throwing it higher into the air.

"Bayleef, Leaf Storm now!" Yelled Moby. Bayleef pounded over until it was underneath the falling Charmander and then unleashed a tornado of leaves and grass. The tornado crashed into Charmander with awesome force, throwing the little lizard to and fro.

Charmander landed with a crash, completely unconscious. Nate stood with his mouth wide open, he couldn't believe that Charmander had lost to a grass pokemon, even worse that it hadn't even landed an attack.

Moby was chuckling to himself, "why don't you just give up," he giggled, watching as Nate grudgingly returned his Charmander.

"Beautifly you're up next!" Cried Nate. But it was met with stony silence as Beautifly remained stubbornly with Hoppip.

"Beautifly, come on! You've gotta battle one day!" Whined Nate, but to no avail, Beautifly fluttered away from him, its wings gleaming in the midday sun. Nate sighed with embarrassment as Moby hooted with laughter.

"Even your own pokemon realise they're about to lose," Moby snorted, his Bayleef joining in with the laughter.

"Grrr…. Taillow, wipe the smile from his face!" roared Nate, releasing an eager Taillow.

* * *

Mac wandered through the forest, Bulbasaur and Corphish by his side, scanning the surroundings for any signs of pokemon. He had decided that now, with the others caught up in their battle, he had the perfect chance to go and advance his team. If he could find any pokemon that is. It seemed as though the previously teeming with life forest had suddenly fallen still and silent as through every pokemon was striving to avoid Mac and his empty poke balls. 

Hearing a crunch from the surrounding bushes, he burst into a run, Corphish and Bulbasaur hot on his tail.

* * *

"Bayleef, finish it with tackle!" Shouted Moby, as Bayleef thundered towards a weakened Taillow. 

"Taillow, get back in the air!" Taillow tried desperately to lift itself back into the air but it just didn't have the strength. With no way of retreat, Taillow clamped its eyes shut and bore the brunt of the tackle.

"Taillow!" Gasped Nate, he ran towards Taillow's limp body, cradling it in his arms. Moby hooted with laughter, "I haven't even broken a sweat!" He giggled.

"Take a long rest Taillow," whispered Nate, returning Taillow to its poke ball. "Moby it's over…" he said sadly, "I don't have any pokemon left."

Moby laughed even louder, holding his sides, his medallion bobbing jauntily. Nate turned away, a tear in his eye. Griff and Kaori watched him silently, wishing they could do something to help.

Then a roar echoed around the clearing, a defiant roar. Nate turned to see Machoke standing in front of Bayleef, flexing its muscles as though preparing to battle.

"Machoke? You… you want to fight?" Nate asked quietly, Machoke nodded slowly.

"oh, another pokemon for me to beat, how nice of you Nate," mocked Moby.

"Ok Machoke, Let's show him how good you are," Roared Nate, "Now Machoke Focus Energy!" Machoke tensed its muscles and began to shine.

"Bayleef, razor leaf!" Yelled Moby.

"Ok Machoke, Take the hit!"

Machoke stood tall and allowed the leafs to slam into it.

"Ha, have you just given up?"

"Not quite," grinned Nate, "Machoke, revenge now!"

Machoke darted forwards and punched Bayleef hard across the face, throwing it backwards and making Moby gasp in surprise.

"So looks like you've finally managed a hit," hissed Moby through gritted teeth.

"Yes I have!" Yelled Nate, "Machoke, Seismic Toss, do it!" Machoke wrapped its arms around Bayleef before launching the both of them into the air. Spinning 180 degrees he shot back down into the ground headfirst, slamming Bayleef into the ground with a crunch. A shroud of dust shot across the battlefield slowly dispersing to show Bayleef, lying unconscious.

Moby wasn't laughing anymore. Returning Bayleef with a grimace he screamed, "beginners luck!"

Kaori and Griff whooped and cheered and Nate felt his confidence rise, unaffected by anything Moby could say. Without saying a word, Moby threw out a poke ball. Kaori, Nate and Mac watched the white light form slowly into…

* * *

Corphish let out a powerful bubble beam, alongside it Bulbasaur unleashed a mist of poison powder. Ahead of them, a Sandshrew squealed in fear. The attacks hit head on, throwing Sandshrew skidding across the dirt. 

"Go poke ball!" Cried Mac, his eyes set on the still ground pokemon. The poke ball whizzed through the air, homing in perfectly on Sandshrew. But at the last moment, Sandshrew jumped out of the way and hurried off into the bushes.

Mac grunted angrily hurling poke ball after poke ball at the fleeing Sandshrew. But it was just too fast.

With a sigh he ordered Bulbasaur and Corphish to start gathering up the poke balls which were strewn across half the forest.

"I'll catch some pokemon next time…"

* * *

A black pokemon floated out of Moby's poke ball. It had a gold zip for a mouth and a star on its tail, its eyes were a deep purple. 

"Is that a Banette?" Gasped Griff.

"It is indeed," smirked Moby, "A ghost type…"

"I don't care what type it is! Machoke, Vital Throw!" Nate watched Moby, expecting him to retaliate, but he did not, allowing Machoke to reach him, without saying a word.

"Looks like Banette's going down!" Laughed Nate as Machoke swung its hands together to grab Banette. The smile fell from Nate's face as Machoke's hands went straight through Banette.

"Don't you know that fighting attacks don't work on ghost pokemon?" sneered Moby, "Now, Banette, Night shade!" Banette bathed the field in purple, throwing Machoke to the floor.

"Banette, finish it with Will-o-wisp!" Banette let out a wave of blue flame, engulfing Machoke and dealing it considerable damage.

"Ok, Banette, I'm tired of toying with him, Shadow ball!" Banette brought its hands together and created a ball of purple swirling energy. Then he threw it out towards the already injured Machoke. With a yelp Machoke, fell to the floor, unconscious.  
There was silence as Nate stared at the fallen Machoke and the dancing, laughing Banette.

"Dude, you suck," taunted Moby, "Hopefully I'll have the joy of beating you again some time." and with that Moby returned his Banette and wandered off down the path, leaving Nate reeling in his first defeat in a very long time.

* * *

Mac gathered up the poke balls and tried to chuck them all in his bag. But the balls overflowed from the cramped bag and clattered all over the floor. 

One of the poke balls opened and let out a plume of white light. Mac was confused, had he in fact managed to catch that Sandshrew? The light formed into the shape of a familiar pokemon. He could tell it wasn't the Sandshrew, but he wasn't sure what pokemon it was exactly.

A sudden all too familiar jolt of electricity quickly informed him of the mystery pokemon.

"Pachirisu!" it squeaked, happily electrifying Mac, Bulbasaur and Corphish.

**Hope you enjoyed!**

**Nate's got a rival and he's good!**

**And Mac's caught a mischievous new pokemon**

**Machoke is finally listening to someone **

**But Beautifly seems to only be interested in Hoppip**

**Keep on reading and reviewing!!!!**


	9. Who gets the egg?

"It's mine! I saw it first!" Wailed Griff, hugging the egg to his chest.

"I'm the one who wants to be a pokemon master, let me have it!" Whined Nate, trying to tug it from Griff's arms.

"I think I would be the best to look after it," muttered Kaori.

"I'm the one who needs more pokemon!" Yelled Mac over the commotion.

The four of them fought furiously over the egg, each of them screaming out why they would be the best to have it. The egg had been discovered lying in the path on the way towards Vermillion City. It was smaller than most pokemon eggs that Nate had seen and it had a brown crooked line across it, the normally white eggshell was faintly tinted in blue.

"Stop!" Roared Griff, halting Nate and Mac in their tracks as they battled over the egg. "We will fight a tournament to decide who gets the egg," the others nodded slowly, realising that a tournament was the fairest way to settle things.

"We'll have one on one battles, as soon as you're pokemon is unable to battle then you're knocked out!" Announced Griff, whilst the others struggled to understand his tournament lingo. "And to add a little spice," he gave them all a mischievous grin, "we'll play the tournament blind!"

There was complete silence before Kaori asked tentatively, "what does playing blind mean?"  
Griff's excited expression dropped to be replaced with one of disgust. "Don't you guys know anything about tournaments?" he moaned, "playing blind is when you don't get to choose your pokemon, you just choose a random poke ball and see what happens." Griff finished very slowly and very condescendingly, receiving a withering look from Nate.

"I'm not sure I quite understand…" muttered Kaori, but Griff had began choosing first round opponents.

"Ok, I'll fight Mac in the first round and Kaori can fight Nate," said Griff laying out his poke balls on the grass in front of him.

"Lay out your active poke balls on the grass," Griff commanded Mac.

"Ok," Mac said slowly, "I only have three."

"So! I only have two!" Yelled Griff, almost angry that Mac thought three was not enough.

"Ok, I choose this one," Griff announced grabbing one of his poke balls. Mac selected his poke ball and the two turned to face each other.

"This should be good," whispered Nate, settling himself upon the grass, beside Kaori.

"Start the battle!" Roared Griff. Griff threw out his poke ball and watched the white light swirl into the form of his Skitty!

"Skitty, alright!" Griff cheered.

Mac gulped nervously as his poke ball opened and turned into the form of Pachirisu! Mac groaned as Pachirisu shocked him mercilessly, giggling as it did.

"Pachirisu… why couldn't it have been Bulbasaur?" he whined, receiving another shock from Pachirisu as he did.

Griff let out an enormous smile as it watched Pachirisu run circles around Mac.

"Skitty, this should be easy, tackle now!" he roared. The little pink cat charged at Pachirisu, squeaking furiously.

"Pachirisu, sweet kiss!" Mac ordered. Pachirisu smacked its lips happily letting out a pink heart.

"You were meant… to use it… on Skitty…" Mac mumbled, smiling bemusedly down at Pachirisu.

Nate began to laugh as Mac stared lovingly at Pachirisu, moments later Skitty slammed into the squirrel throwing it off its feet.

"No…" murmured Mac, "My sweet, beautiful, wonderful…" he trailed off woozily, stumbling over onto the ground where he stretched out happily.

Pachirisu lifted itself back onto its feet and let a spark of electricity; forcing Skitty to back off and bringing Mac back to his senses.

"Have you woken up yet Mac?" Giggled Griff.

"Ok Pachirisu, let's use sweet kiss, but on Skitty this time!" Roared Mac. Pachirisu nodded letting out another pink heart, but this time at Skitty. But Skitty hopped skilfully out of the way and let out a chilling blizzard.

"Pachirisu, dodge it with quick attack," The squirrel squirmed out of the way of the blizzard and shot forwards straight at Skitty.

"Skitty, use faint attack!" Skitty slowly faded out of sight, causing Pachirisu to grind to a halt.

"Pachirisu look out! Skitty's about to…" But Mac was too late, Skitty slammed into Pachirisu, throwing it tumbling across the grass.

"Pachirisu, no!" Wailed Mac, but Pachirisu jumped back to its feet, refusing to be beaten. "Ok Pachirisu, time to use spark!" Pachirisu began to run, charging itself with crackling blue electricity.

"Skitty, um…" Griff burbled, but it was too late. Skitty skidded backwards across the floor, sparks cascading off of it.

"Skitty, are you paralysed?" gasped Griff.

"Yes!" Grinned Mac.

"No problem, Heal bell!" Griff said smugly. Skitty let out a soft chime, and Mac watched as the sparks stopped crackling and Skitty returned to its healthy status although still badly bruised.

"Damn… Pachirisu, Discharge now!" Yelled Mac, his mind set on his prize.

Pachirisu squeaked furiously as it began to crackle and fizz with electricity, blasting both Skitty and Mac once again.

Mac rose slowly to his feet, badly singed, there was a ringing in his ears and he was finding it hard to focus. Nate and Kaori were clapping happily and Pachirisu was rubbing its head affectionately against Mac's legs. Mac wasn't quite sure what had happened. But then he saw Skitty lying unconscious and blackened in front of Griff.

"Have a good long rest," Griff whispered as he returned Skitty to its poke ball.

"Nice battle Mac," called Nate, "I'll see you in the finals." Nate and Kaori took their positions, each reaching for a poke ball.

"Please don't be Machoke," Kaori muttered to herself, "please don't be Beautifly," Nate muttered to himself."

The two poke balls opened and took the form of Charmander and Cyndaquil!

"Hmmm fighting fire with fire," giggled Nate, but Kaori seemed very focused.

"Let's start with a smoke screen," ordered Kaori. Cyndaquil breathed out a haze of smoke, enveloping the entire battlefield.

"Now, Cyndaquil use quick attack!"

"Charmander watch out for Cyndaquil!" Cried Nate. Charmander's eyes flitted nervously from side to side, seeing nothing but vast expanses of smoke. Suddenly Cyndaquil burst through the smoke dealing Charmander a glancing blow.

"Charmander, use metal claw!" The little red lizard turned, its claws shining brightly and slashed viciously at Cyndaquil. Cyndaquil slumped to the floor, its eyes glazed.

"Charmander, finish it with rage!"

"Cyndaquil, flame thrower!"

Charmander charged at Cyndaquil, but at the last moment Cyndaquil unleashed a jet of flame, throwing Charmander backwards.

"This isn't going to be easy," muttered Nate.

"You're right! It won't!" said Kaori confidently.

Cyndaquil and Charmander continued to face off, neither of them backing down for a moment. They scratched, slammed and scorched one another, all the while not letting back an inch.

"Charmander, flame thrower!"

"Cyndaquil, flame thrower!"

The two streaks of fire crashed into one another, causing an explosion of smoke, ash and dirt. Nate shielded his eyes; Kaori was blasted back onto the floor. As the dust cleared, Nate was shocked to see both pokemon still standing.

But then slowly, painfully slowly, Cyndaquil's collapsed to its knees and then flopped to the floor. Charmander remained standing, its breathing coming fast and its flame sputtering dangerously. But the result had been discovered.

"Oh…" whispered Kaori, "I lost…"

"Good match Kaori!" Grinned Nate, "But now Mac, it's time for me to win that egg!"

"I wouldn't be so sure," said Mac, taking his place opposite Nate. Griff and Kaori sat together, Kaori cradling the egg maternally in her arms.

"Let's start this thing!" Mac cried throwing out a poke ball, it took the form of Bulbasaur.

"Well I can beat Bulbasaur with…" Announced Nate throwing out one of his poke balls. "BEAUTIFLY?!?!?!" He wailed as Beautifly fluttered happily around.

"Ok, Bulbasaur, vine whip!" Long green vines unfurled out of Bulbasaur's bulb, shooting rapidly towards Beautifly.

"Beautifly, cut through the vines with silver wind!" Beautifly flapped its wings hard, letting off a sparkling breeze, but not enough to cut the incoming vines. Beautifly was thrown to the ground in a heap.

"That silver wind was beautiful," sighed Kaori, watching as Beautifly struggled to fly into the air. Beautifly looked worried and hurt, trying to hide behind Nate.

"Beautifly, you can do it, Come on!" Encouraged Nate and slowly Beautifly soared back into the battle.

"Bulbasaur, razor leaf now!" Commanded Mac. Razor leaf came spinning towards Beautifly. The butterfly's eyes began to shine bright blue as it used a psychic attack, halting several of the spinning leaves in their path, but not all of the leaves. Nate gritted his teeth as Beautifly tumbled down through the air, only spinning out of its nosedive at the last second.

"Beautifly, morning sun!" Beautifly began to glow as it took in light, its injuries visibly healing.

"Bulbasaur, Take down before Beautifly heals itself!" Bulbasaur launched itself into the air, slamming into Beautifly with so much force that Beautifly was thrown into Nate.

"Beautifly?" asked Nate worriedly, but there was no point, Beautifly was well and truly down for the count.

"Good work Bulbasaur!" Congratulated Mac, grabbing the egg and lifting it happily above his head. "Yes the egg is mine!" He roared, jumping happily, the egg bouncing in his hands.

Kaori caught the egg as it tumbled to out of Mac's hands. Mac sheepishly took the egg out of Kaori's hands, this time clutching it carefully to his chest.

Nate looked out into the horizon, watching the orange glow of the sun sink behind the distant Vermillion City. A sound behind him alerted him to the presence of Kaori. She was standing behind him, a poke ball clutched in her hand.

"Hey Kaori, what's up?" he asked.

"Machoke never listens to me," she said thoughtfully, staring into the distance alongside Nate.

"I'm sure if you train it then…"

"No. I'm not strong enough, Machoke needs a trainer who knows how to battle and who battles a lot."

Nate furrowed his brow as he began to deduce what Kaori was saying.

"Your Beautifly doesn't seem to like battling very much," she smiled, turning to Nate, "I think you know what I'm suggesting," she finished holding out her poke ball to Nate.

Slowly, Nate reached to his belt and grasped Beautifly's poke ball.

"Good luck Beautifly," He whispered, before handing the poke ball to Kaori, Kaori handed him hers.

"The trade is complete," said Kaori happily, "Look after Machoke ok?"

"Sure I…" began Nate, but suddenly Machoke's poke ball burst open but the light did not materialize into a Machoke but instead an enormous four-armed muscle bound monster.

"WOW! Machoke evolved into a Machamp!" Cried Nate excitedly. Machamp grinned happily, patting Kaori on the shoulder and given Nate a crippling hug.

"Beautifly, come on out!" said Kaori, letting out her brand new pokemon. Beautifly trilled happily, landing on Kaori's shoulder.

"Beautifly, don't forget me ok?" insisted Nate. Beautifly fluttered appreciatively over to Nate, shyly rubbing its feeler across the top of his head.

"Well Machamp, get ready!" Yelled Nate, "Because Vermillion City here we come!" 


	10. Zoe returns

Come on

Come on! Don't be such a wuss!" Commanded Griff whilst pushing Kaori towards the sign-up desk.

"But really…" Kaori struggled, "I don't even know how to…" But Griff was ignoring her, smiling at the receptionist and registering Kaori Nishidake and her pokemon.

"Griff!" Kaori whined, "Why did you do that? I don't want to be in this contest, with everyone watching me."

"Don't be stupid," smiled Griff, "You'll do great."

"Seriously Kaori," said Mac, walking over from where he had signed up, the egg he had won recently was held safely in his backpack, "it is really fun."

"I knew I should have gone to watch Nate's gym battle…" sighed Kaori as the two boys pushed her towards the co-ordinator area.  
"Do you know which pokemon to use?" Griff questioned, tugging the poke balls from Kaori's belt.

"No," snapped Kaori snatching her poke balls back. "I don't even know what they do in these contests."

"It's easy Kaori," said Mac, stroking his Bulbasaur as he talked, "in the Vermillion contest you start with a single appeal: one pokemon showing their skill and beauty. Then there are single contest battles: with a different pokemon from your appeal. You have to battle with grace and skill. But I think only four are going through to the second round so I wouldn't get your hopes up. After all, I've already been in a contest and you're a total newbie."

"Where do you get off being so sure of yourself," snarled Kaori, "I have just as good a chance as you, maybe better with my Beautifly." Kaori glared angrily at Griff who had just burst out laughing.

However as she went to thump him, an announcement rang out from across the speakers and the viewing screen flicked on.

"WELCOME CONTEST FANS!" Roared the MC, a beautiful brunette dressed in a yellow floor length ball gown, a tumultuous cheer echoed from the gigantic stands.

"It's that time of year again, where Vermillion city holds its wonderful contest. There are 26 coordinators here today, all competing for this!" The MC raised a yellow ribbon above her head and the crowd yelled their approval once more. "Let me introduce our judges, Mr. Contester!" She cried indicating a tall, slightly balding man, dressed in a smart red suit.

"Head of the Pokemon fan club, Mr. Sukezo!" She continued indicating a smaller, balder man, sitting to the right of Mr. Contester.

"And finally, our very own Vermillion Nurse Joy!" She finished, indicating the last person on the judging panel, a tall, red haired woman, dressed in a nurse costume, complete with a matron's hat.

"So let's start with the appeal rounds! And the first co-ordinator on stage is… Zoe Paine from Pallet Town!"

Mac, Griff and Kaori's jaws dropped as a very familiar girl strutted onto the stage.

"It's… it's her," gasped Mac.

Zoe grinned, almost as though she could actually see Mac and then with a flick of her wrist she unleashed her pokemon.

"Solrock, let's go!" An orange circular pokemon appeared. Yellow protrusions encircled it, giving it the appearance of a miniature sun. Its eyes glowed blue as it chanted its name softly, giving Zoe the signal to begin.

"When did she get a Solrock?" Asked Kaori, but Griff and Mac shushed her angrily, intent on watching Zoe's appeal.

"Rock throw, go!" Solrock complied tossing a large rock, high into the air with its mind.

"Wow, that really shows how powerful Solrock is!" Gasped the MC.

"Now use confusion!" Solrock's eyes glowed blue once more.

"Wow, Solrock is holding the rock in place with its mind!" Shrieked the MC and the audience clapped excitedly.

"Shatter it with hyper beam!" Solrock stopped using confusion and the rock being to plummet to the ground. Solrock began to take in energy.

"Oh dear, is there enough time to use hyper beam?" Cried the MC.  
Zoe gritted her teeth, blocking out the crowd and the MC, just focusing on Solrock, "Come on, you can do it," she whispered.

The rock was mere inches from the floor when Solrock shot out a powerful hyper beam. The rock was shattered into hundreds of pieces, the crowd burst into applause but Zoe wasn't finished.

"Solrock, Gyro ball, quickly!" Solrock began to spin like a buzz saw, faster and faster until it was just a blur. Then, with incredible speed it began to slice through all the fragments of rocking, turning them to powder.

"And she even cleans up after herself," laughed the MC, "Although, unfortunately she didn't get every piece of rock, that's going to cost some points!"

Zoe shot the MC a look of pure hatred, but she was looking the other way at the judges.

"So what's the verdict?"

"Brilliant execution, definitely a show of strength, 9.3!" Said Mr. Contester

"Solrock certainly seems to trust its owner, 8.9!" Said Mr Sukezo.

"Solrock is truly in great condition, 9.1!" smiled Nurse Joy

"That gives a brilliant score of 27.3!" Announced the MC, waving goodbye to Zoe. "Next up is Jennifer from Saffron City!"

Mac hurried to the door as Zoe ambled through. Upon seeing him she stood still, slightly taken aback. Then with a grin, she pulled him into a hug.

"MAC!!" She cried, "It's been so loooooong!! I've missed you!!" She said and Mac felt himself grinning back at her. But then he remembered why they had been separated.

"Why did you leave?"

Zoe's smile fell for a moment, before being replaced with her usual cheeky smile; she placed a hand on her hip and flicked her hair from her eyes. "Well, you know, a girl can get tired of the same old people." Mac wasn't convinced, but he decided not to push it.

"Why are you competing in a contest? I figured you'd be at the gym," said Mac.

"Been there, done that," laughed Zoe, "I've already got the thunder badge," she explained at their incredulous looks.

"Wow, you've been busy," laughed Mac, "So where'd you get a Solrock?" he asked, but Zoe suddenly looked embarrassed, giving Griff an apologetic look.

"What is it?" Questioned Griff, confused.

"Well… it's just… This guy wanted to trade me their Solrock, but they wanted… they wanted… a moonstone for it…" she explained sheepishly.

Griff wailed like an injured animal, "You stole my moonstone!!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," yelled Zoe, looking around, embarrassed because Griff was making a scene.

A few minutes later, they were sitting on the sofas by the view screen and Griff had calmed down.

"Don't worry about it Zoe, I've still got two moonstones." Griff said consolingly.

"Yeh…" said Zoe unconvincingly, "You've still got two…"

Griff was about to press his point but he was interrupted by Kaori's anxious shriek.

"That gives Dylan 20.8! Next up Kaori Nishidake from right here in Vermillion!"

"You're from Vermillion?" Asked Mac, but Kaori was in a trance, walking slowly towards the doors.

"Come on out Kaori! Don't be shy!" Encouraged the MC.

"Everyone, this is Kaori's first ever contest, so let's make her feel welcome!" The crowd happily complied, roaring so loudly that the stands shook.

"Ok," Kaori said timidly, her eyes darting around at all the spectators, one of her arms stroking the other reassuringly.

"Beautifly, lets go," she whispered, tossing the poke ball out. Beautifly fluttered out of its poke ball, its wings shimmering.

"Wow, look how beautiful that Beautifly is!" The MC said, awestruck.

"Beautifly use morning sun," she mumbled, still very conscious of everyone watching her. Beautifly didn't move as everyone watched Kaori.

"You're going to have to speak up Kaori! I don't think Beautifly even heard your command!" laughed the MC.

"Beautifly, Morning sun," Kaori cried determinedly, although her voice cracked somewhat. Beautifly glistened as it took in sunlight, wowing the audience.

"Now, stun spore," Beautifly let out a swathe of yellow powder into the air, the powder floating weightlessly in the air.

"Wow, a brilliant stun spore, although she better keep it away from the judges if she wants good points," remarked the MC as the spore began to glide down onto the stage.

"Oh, Beautifly keep it up with gust!" Beautifly tried, keeping most of the powder up, although some of it began to land on the stage.  
"Now, Psychic, like I told you," Yelled Kaori, willing her plan to work.

"Like I told you!" repeated Griff, back in the waiting room "I knew she was more into this than she seemed, she had an appeal planned."

Beautifly began to manipulate the stun spore into a shape in the sky. Slowly a letter could be seen, it was somewhat lopsided and the top seemed a little withered but it was definitely a huge capital letter K.

"And there we have Kaori's appeal! What did you think judges?"

"Some good ideas, but at times the execution needed more work, 7.9!" Said Mr. Contester.

"Beautifly appears to know some beautiful moves and just needs some more training, 8.8!" Cried Mr, Sukezo

"Kaori's Beautifly is a stunning pokemon and with a little work, could go far. Kaori, you just need to be a little more confident, 8.9!" Nurse Joy commented.

"That gives a score of 25.6! Good work Kaori! Next is Mac Frasier from Pallet town!"

Kaori shot Mac a grin as they crossed paths. Mac span on the spot, hurling out his poke ball. Bulbasaur took the stage, reeling up on its hind legs as it appeared.

"An inspiring entrance from Bulbasaur!"

Drawing three pieces of fruit from his coat, Mac threw them high in the air yelling, "Bulbasaur, razor leaf!"

Bulbasaur fired out leaves, slicing expertly through the fruit.

"Now, catch them with vine whip," cried Mac, balancing a plate on the tips of fingers. Bulbasaur effortlessly tossed piece after piece onto the plate.

"And Bulbasaur's making a fruit salad that looks terrific!"

"Now, let the judges have it!" Laughed Mac. Bulbasaur shot out its vines once more, placing the plate squarely in front of Mr. Sukezo.

"Does that count as bribing?" Giggled the MC, "Well let's see what our judges thought!"

"Mmmm… delicious and flawlessly executed, however I would have liked to see more moves 8.9!" said Mr. Contester, mouth full.

"Bulbasaur has prepared a brilliant and healthy dish, 9.1!" Gargled Mr. Sukezo through his fruit.

Nurse Joy nibbled a piece of fruit and then with a smile said, "Clearly there is a great bond between trainer and pokemon, 9.2!"

"That gives Mac the brilliant score of 27.2!" Cried the MC.

Mac couldn't believe it, he had worked on that appeal for weeks, how could he not have beaten Zoe? By one point no less…

Back in the changing room, Zoe grinned happily. Kaori was smiling exhaustedly after her ordeal. But she was glad that she had performed, "I've got to get through," she whispered to herself.

Kaori watched the view screen avidly, none of the last 8 trainers had beaten her score, but there had been so many before her, she knew that it was very hard to get through and Mac had been right to tell her so, but still she wanted it so bad.

"That gives Rick 24.3!" Announced the MC. "Well that's the last of the appeals and only four coordinators are going through!"

The whole of the backstage was silent as everyone stared at the view screen.

"Let's see those lucky four!" The faces appeared slowly, painfully slowly. Zoe's was the first, Mac right after her. Then a skinny blond boy's face took the third slot. Kaori stared at the fourth place, willing it to be her. The portrait appeared.

Kaori found herself staring at her own nervous looking face. She couldn't believe it; she was through, she had done it. Mac, Zoe and Griff pulled her into a group hug as they all exclaimed how happy they were.

"Now it's time to randomise that board and find our second round match ups."

Kaori's head whipped round as she heard the MC, Mac and Zoe watched intently as well.

"Match 1 Kaori V Alan! Match 2 Nate V Zoe!"

Nate and Zoe shot each other a look, both of them smiling in spite of themselves.

"Let's hope all my trainings been worth something then," said Zoe, quietly. "I'm looking forward to our battle, Mac."

Alan came up to Kaori, with a defiant look. "I watched your appeal, don't think some beginners luck will beat me," he hissed.

"How dare you," yelled Griff, jumping up at the much taller boy, "she's going to kick your ass, aren't you Kaori?"

But Kaori, so nervous of the upcoming battle, had run to the toilet, afraid she might be sick.

**Zoe's back!**

**And these three are heading through to round 2, but who will win the coveted Vermillion Ribbon?**

**Just to say, I am still accepting OC's, but they'll only play small cameo roles**

**THANKS FOR READING!**


	11. Lt Surge VS Moby

Nate pushed open the double doors of the Vermillion gym and was hit with an explosion of light and sound

Nate pushed open the double doors of the Vermillion gym and was hit with an explosion of light and sound. Inside a battle was raging and bolts of lightning crackled around the walls. Moving quietly to the stands, Nate looked at the gym leader.

The leader was dressed in camouflage gear; he had short blond hair and some hardcore stubble. Nate knew that the leader was called Lt. Surge and that he specialized in electric type pokemon. But Nate was ready for a good battle.

He had said goodbye to Kaori, Mac and Griff and headed to the gym alone, prepared to earn his third badge.

Glancing across to the challenger, Nate felt his jaw drop. A familiar medallion swung with the thrill of battle, a familiar sneering voice was yelling out commands and Nate knew him immediately as his rival.

"Moby?" he said out loud, causing both Moby and Lt. Surge to look round at him.

Moby stared at him for a good five seconds before returning to the battle in front of him.

Nate watched the two pokemon on the battlefield as they fought. He easily recognised the first as the very same Banette that had beaten him not too long before. The second was a small blue fox like pokemon with a black mane. Its tail ended in a four-point star and after a moments thought Nate identified it as a Luxio.

"Banette, finish it with shadow ball!" Cried Moby.

"Discharge, Luxio!" Yelled Lt. Surge.

Nate shielded his eyes as the brilliant light of Luxio's discharge filled the room, he heard Banette cry out in pain. He returned to the scene of the battle to see both Banette and Luxio collapsed on the field.

"Banette and Luxio are unable to battle!" Announced the judge, holding up both flags.

Nate was surprised. Banette had seemed impossibly strong when he had fought it. Obviously this Lt. Surge was very strong, Nate felt his confidence slip, just a little bit.

"Electrike, come on out!" barked Lt. Surge. A small, green, four-legged pokemon appeared. It had yellow streaks on its body and a large mouth, which yapped angrily.

"Magneton, lets go!" Cried Moby. The white light formed into a metal pokemon that appeared to be created out of school physics equipment. The pokemon was composed of three Magnemites stuck together

"I didn't even know he had a Magneton…" mumbled Nate to himself, entranced in the battle.

"Magneton, use thundershock!"

"Ha, that won't work!" Jeered Lt. Surge, "Electrike use Magneton's electricity to charge!"

Nate chuckled to himself as he watched Electrike absorb the electricity, "rookie mistake," he muttered to no one in particular.

"Now, Electrike! Use thunder!" Ordered Lt. Surge.

"Magneton, dodge it!" Shrieked Moby, fearfully. But Electrike's attack drenched the stage and try as it might, Magneton could not slip out of the way. Magneton slammed into the floor, eyes clenched shut in pain.

"Come on Magneton, don't give up!"

Magneton struggled as it slowly lifted itself into the air. However it wasn't down yet and it wasn't giving in.

"Ok Magneton, use tri attack!"

"Electrike, dodge it!"

Magneton unleashed a swirling, twisting jet of an attack: fire, ice and lightning crackling inside of it. But Electrike was known for having fast reactions and flipped skilfully out of the way.

"Magneton, use lock on!" Magneton clicked and whirred as it fixed its sights on Electrike.

"Quick attack while it's trying to focus!" Electrike sprinted towards the unprepared Magneton. Moby closed his eyes as Electrike slammed into Magneton, throwing it backwards.

"Now Magneton, supersonic!" The locked on attack hit perfectly, making Electrike the one to skid back for once. Electrike righted itself and began to jump back into battle but it stumbled in a crooked path.

"Yes, Electrike's confused!" Cheered Moby, watching as Electrike tottered along.

"Now that he can't fight back, Thundershock!"

"Ha, haven't you learnt anything from last time!" Sneered Lt. Surge.

"I'm not finished! Use thundershock… on the ground!" Nate gasped as Magneton unleashed a devastating electrical attack on the ground just in front of Electrike. The lightning ripped through the ground throwing up great chunks of earth.

"Electrike, use tackle to break the rocks!" But Electrike was confused and ended up hitting itself. Moments later an enormous rock slammed into Electrike throwing the lightning pokemon backwards to Lt. Surge.

"Electrike is unable to battle! Magneton is the winner!"

Lt. Surge returned his Electrike with a sigh, "I have to admit, that was a brilliant strategy; confusing me before using the same failed attack in a unique way. Truly brilliant. But my last pokemon will not be as easy! Raichu let's go!"

A Raichu appeared, flicking its long tail aggressively.

"Magneton, lets go, zap cannon!" Magneton charged up energy and released it in a writhing beam, moving quickly towards Raichu.

"Raichu, light screen!" snapped Lt. Surge. Raichu closed its eyes and created a transparent, shimmering wall of light between it and Magneton. The zap cannon crashed harmlessly into the wall, disappearing into nothingness.

"Thunder punch," demanded Lt. Surge. Raichu darted towards Magneton, its fist glowing brightly. Before Magneton had a chance to dodge, it was hit full on by Raichu's fist. Magneton clanked to the floor noisily.

"Magneton is unable to battle, Raichu is the winner!" Announced the judge.

"Looks like it's one on one!" Cried Lt. Surge, Raichu hopped energetically from foot to foot.

"Ok, come on out Gabite!" The white light morphed into the form of a bipedal hammerhead shark, it had long claws on its hands and feet and long sharp teeth, which it gnashed menacingly.

Nate sat transfixed, this battle was truly dynamic and he couldn't tear his eyes away. It was impossible to deny that Moby was a great trainer, but Nate was beginning to worry that his pokemon might not be up to defeating Surge's impressive array of electric pokemon.

"Machamp and Charmander should be fine, but Buizel and Taillow don't stand a chance against a thundershock. I just have to hope I can finish him with two pokemon…"

Remembering where he was, he looked up to see the battlefield submerged in a sandstorm, swirling chaotically around the two pokemon.

"Gabite, Dragon Rage!"

"Raichu, agility!"

Gabite breathed out a stream of blue flames, but Raichu sped out of the way instantaneously.

"Quick attack, go!"

Raichu slammed into Gabite, making it double up in pain.

"That Raichu sure is powerful," Nate muttered to himself.

"Raichu, double slap!" Raichu began slapping Garbite across the face with its tail.

"Garbite, dragon claw!" Garbite's claw shined blue and it slashed at Raichu. Raichu back flipped out of the way at the last moment, landing agilely on its tail.

"Raichu, bide!" Roared Lt. Surge. Raichu stood still, clenching its muscles, its cheeks sparking a little.

"Bide will return my attack at double strength," said Moby slowly, "So I have to take you out with one hit. Garbite, outrage now!" Commanded Moby.

Nate gasped, if Moby's hit didn't KO Raichu then the bide attack would be truly devastating.

Gabite charged at Raichu and began to thrash it viciously with everything at its disposal. Claws, teeth, tail, hands, anything that could be used to hurt Raichu. Raichu squeaked in pain as it took a powerful beating. Nate winced as it witnessed the devastation of an outrage attack for the first time.

Finally Gabite stopped, stumbling away exhaustedly. Its eyes were crossed and it tripped a little bit.

"NO!" Moby Cried as he noticed Raichu was still standing.

Raichu let out a wave of energy, submerging Gabite and throwing it to the ground.

"Wow, that was a powerful hit," whispered Nate.

"Come on Gabite, get up!" To the surprise of everyone but Moby Garbite pushed itself back onto its feet, its breathing racing after the vigorous attack.

Raichu gasped, completely shocked that Gabite was still going.

Moby prepared to order another attack but was halted by the sound of Raichu collapsing to the floor.

"Raichu is unable to battle, that means Gabite is the victor! Moby Jones is the winner!"

Surge looked slightly taken aback, but he slowly began to smile. "That was a great battle and you definitely deserve this," Surge said, handing Moby a sparkling sun shaped badge. "That's the Thunder badge. Keep on going Moby, I'm sure you will go far."

"Hey, I want to battle you!" Yelled Nate, hurrying down onto the battlefield. Moby gave him an irritated glare, angry that he was stealing his attention.

"Huh, you want a battle too?" Asked Surge, looking Nate up and down.

"Of course, I'm ready to get my third badge!" Grinned Nate, pumped and ready for battle.

"You think you can beat him?" Laughed Moby and Surge joined in with the laughter as well.

"What makes you think you'll be able to beat me!" Growled Nate, "I'm super strong!"

"Very well," chuckled Surge, wiping a tear from his eye. "I could do with a win today." Surge took his place once more on the left side of the battlefield.

"Don't get your hopes up," snarled Nate, taking his place opposite Surge.

"I may as well stay to watch you get crushed," said Moby, sitting down in the stands.

"Voltorb, get out here!" Roared Surge, throwing out a poke ball. The poke ball opened to unleash… another poke ball. But Nate recognised it as Voltorb, the ball pokemon. A pair of angry eyes identified it as a pokemon.

"Ok, Machamp let's show him our skill!" Shouted Nate releasing his four-armed pokemon.

The two pokemon sized each other up, prepared for a good battle.

**And I'm going to stop there!**

**Nate's gym battle will be shown in a later chapter**

**Sorry guys**

**Anyhu please read and review if you get the chance!  
**


	12. Vermillion Victory!

"I don't know if I can do this," Kaori whispered, hugging her knees to her chest

"I don't know if I can do this," Kaori whispered, hugging her knees to her chest. "I was so afraid last time, I don't want to go out there and make a fool of myself."

She heard the sound of the bathroom door swish open and then a shadow fell across her face.

"Griff told me you were in here," said Zoe, sitting down beside Kaori with a small smile. "So I guess you're a little nervous," Zoe said, looking at Kaori's trembling body, "Everyone's afraid Kaori, everyone's heat pumps when they get out there. But you can't let it beat you. When I lost at Cerulean…" Zoe faltered a little, embarrassed of what she had done. "I lost all confidence," she continued, "I was too afraid to battle, I couldn't bear to lose again. But I wasn't going to let it beat me." Kaori looked up and saw that Zoe's eyes had glazed over a little bit. "I trained as hard as I could, planned my strategies and defeated Lt. Surge. And now I realise, if I hadn't lost then I might never have tried so hard, I might never have trained so hard. So don't be afraid, worst that can happen: you lose and trust me, that can be a good thing." Zoe finished

Kaori rose slowly to her feet, "you're right Zoe, I need to go out there and face that snob. And if I lose, then at least I tried as hard as I could!"

Kaori marched out of the bathroom, leaving Zoe to stare at the swinging as it closed. "Wow, I'm really motivating," Zoe laughed to herself.

"Round 2 is about to begin with Alan from Petalburg city facing Kaori from right here in Vermillion. Following standard contest rules, this will be a 5 minute, one on one battle where each co-ordinator must try and lower their opponent's scores! So let's start the battle!" Announced the MC.

"Heracross, lets go!" Yelled Alan, unleashing an enormous stag beetle pokemon.

"Cyndaquil, together we can do it!" Cried Kaori, trying to ignore the crowd around her. Cyndaquil growled and flames burst into life on its back.

"Heracross, take down!" Cried the blond boy, his piercing eyes fixed on his beetle pokemon. Heracross pounded across the battlefield, preparing for a shoulder tackle.

"Cyndaquil, quick attack! Go!" Cried Kaori. Cyndaquil sprinted, its shape blurring as it gained speed, it slammed into Heracross at full speed, Heracross stumbled backwards, but Cyndaquil was thrown, skidding across the floor.

"Cyndaquil's quick attack was just not strong enough, Heracross has dealt it a lot of damage." Said the MC, as both scores above her began to slip.

"Cyndaquil get back up, smokescreen!" Cyndaquil belched out a stomach full of smoke, engulfing the entire stage in smoke so thick that it was impossible to see a thing.

"That smokescreen sure has covered up the stage! What will Alan do?" Asked the MC; above her the points were about equal at 80.

"Cyndaquil, Quick attack again!" Cried Kaori.

"Heracross, fly up!" Ordered Alan.

Kaori gasped as wings shot out of the back of Heracross' shell lifting it into the air. Cyndaquil passed just underneath it with quick attack.

"A good dodge by Heracross, that's going to cost Kaori points!" Cried the MC.

"Heracross, go for an aerial ace!" Heracross' wings began to glow as it swooped through the smoke towards Cyndaquil. Bursting through the smoke it discovered… nothing!

"Nice work Cyndaquil! Hit it with flamethrower now!"

Suddenly, from Heracross' left flank a jet of flames appeared, tossing Heracross from the air.

"A brilliant hit from Cyndaquil is going to cost Alan serious points!" Shrieked the MC. Alan's points hit 60 whilst Kaori's was still at 70.

"Heracross, brick break!" Yelled Alan, Heracross descended on Cyndaquil, horn aglow.

"Cyndaquil, dodge it!"

Heracross struck with its horn, but Cyndaquil hopped out of the way just in time. Unfortunately, on the second strike Heracross found its mark, smashing Cyndaquil into the ground.

"Cyndaquil, you've got to get up!" Wailed Kaori, tears forming in her eyes. Cyndaquil struggled to its feet, behind it Kaori's score dropped to a mere 40.

"We have just a minute to go! Will Alan claim victory or can Kaori stage a glorious comeback?" Shouted the MC, the crowd jumping with excitement.

"Cyndaquil, flame wheel!" Cyndaquil belched out more flames, engulfing itself, then began to spin, creating a rolling ball of flames.

"Heracross, all or nothing! Megahorn!" Yelled Alan, desperately willing the time to tick down faster.

Heracross' horn glowed green as it stabbed once more at Cyndaquil, but this time Cyndaquil was prepared, bouncing into the air and hitting Heracross in the face. Heracross stumbled backwards with its eyes clenched shut.

"Now, Cyndaquil quick attack!" Still aflame Cyndaquil shot at Heracross, throwing it to the floor, flames curling around its body.  
Crosses appeared on the judges screens as they declared Heracross "down and out."

"And there you have it folks! Kaori and Cyndaquil are moving onto the finals!"

Kaori almost fainted, pulling her Cyndaquil into a cuddle, she grinned like crazy, almost forgetting about all the people who were watching her. "We did it, we did it!" Was all she could say as she walked back into the co-ordinator area.

"Hey Kaori," shouted Alan, causing Kaori to turn back, "that was a good battle, I hope you win this thing," he said sheepishly before turning his back to Kaori and marching out of the contest hall.

* * *

"Are you ready Mac?" Asked Zoe as they watched Kaori enter the backstage.

"Of course I'm ready, I'm ready to win this ribbon!"

"Alright then Mac, lets go, I'm not going easy on you!" Laughed Zoe, as the two of them made there way to the stage.

"Next up is Mac from Pallet Town versus Zoe from… oh Pallet town as well! So these two grew up together, now its time to see who's ready to take on Kaori in the finals!" Shrieked the MC, starting the timer on the screen.

"Corphish, lets win this!" Corphish appeared, clicking its claws angrily.

"Nidoqueen, we can do this!" Cried Zoe. Mac gasped as an enormous blue dinosaur appeared, stomping the ground furiously.

"WHAT!" Bawled Griff backstage, "To get her Nidorina to evolve she would need a moonstone! And the only way she could get a moonstone…" Griff trailed off with a scream as he discovered the single moonstone still left in his backpack.

Zoe thought she heard a scream from backstage, but she decided to ignore it and focus on the battle.

"Corphish, Crab hammer!" Ordered Mac. Corphish's claws glowed white as it scuttled towards Nidoqueen.

"Nidoqueen, poison fang!" Nidoqueen opened its mouth wide and clamped down on Corphish's claw, expelling the light from it.

"Now, use double kick!" Mac gasped as Corphish was thrown into the air, then the enormous dinosaur launched itself after the crab and punted it across the field with a powerful kick.

"Wow, that attack showed Nidoqueen's awesome power, I would not want to be Corphish right now!" Gasped the MC as Mac's points dropped.

"Corphish are you okay?" Asked Mac fearfully, but Corphish quickly jumped back onto its feet, ready for more. "YES! Corphish, Bubblebeam!"

"Nidoqueen, dodge it!" Cried Zoe.

However the lumbering dinosaur was not quite fast enough and the stream of bubbles caught her head on.

"Now Corphish! Use swords dance!"

"Corphish is getting ready for an attack, but with only one minute left on the clock, is there enough time?" Questioned the MC, Zoe still had more points than Mac at this late stage and the match seemed decided.

"Nidoqueen, Earthquake!" Roared Zoe. The entire stadium shook as Nidoqueen slammed her foot into the ground splitting the earth before her. Corphish's eyes widened in terror as the ground burst open beneath it, throwing the luckless crab high into the air.

"It looks like this match is more or less decided at that!" Cried the MC, Mac's points hit less than 20 and were quite a long way of Zoe's.

"It's not fair," thought Mac, "I'm the one who's fought in a contest before. I'm the one who's been practicing my appeals, I'm the one who's been dreaming of that ribbon for the last month, why is she so good at this?" But Mac snapped out of his thought bubble to return to the battle and the final thirty second chance he had.

"Corphish, use this fall to give you power and go for another crab hammer!" Ordered Mac.

"Nidoqueen, toxic!" Shrieked Zoe, Corphish swooped down towards Nidoqueen just as she unleashed a stomach full of poisonous liquid. The liquid drenched Corphish, but did not take the crab out as it landed on Nidoqueen, slamming its claw into her. Nidoqueen slid across the ground and the entire crowd gasped, judges and MC included.

"Wow, Mac used Corphish's crab hammer combined with Nidoqueen's earthquake and his earlier swords dance, Zoe is going to lose a lot of points for that!"

"Nidoqueen, fury swipes!"

"Corphish, vice grip!"

But they were both too late as the buzzer rang out across the hall, signalling the end of their battle. Both trainers looked up to the board, but the two scores were so close that they could hardly see the difference just by looking.

"It looks like…" Cried the MC, holding one finger to her ear as she received the result, "Yes, Mac wins by two points!"

Zoe felt her heart shatter. A picture of Mac, Corphish and Bulbasaur flashed jauntily on the big screen, mocking her. All her training, all that practice, earning the thunder badge; it had meant nothing, she still wasn't good enough to beat her own friends.

She felt tears sneak their way into her eyes and she turned to leave the stadium. But then a voice called her back.

"What happened to losing can be a good thing?" Yelled Kaori, hurrying across the stadium towards Zoe.

"What do I know?" She barked back, "I don't have the right to preach to you, I lost!"

"Good trainers don't always win," said Kaori, blocking Zoe's exit, "good trainers learn from their losses."

Zoe was silent for a moment. She looked across the stadium to where Mac was animatedly talking with the judges, she looked at the cheering fans and she looked at Kaori's troubled face.

"If you want to go, I won't stop you," said Kaori sadly.

"How could I leave? This final gonna be one hell of a battle." Zoe grinned and Kaori did as well.

"Anyway contests aren't you're thing, you belong in the Kanto league," explained Kaori and Zoe nodded.

"Yeh, you're right. I need to earn me those 8 badges. Cos two sure ain't gonna be enough!"

"Glad to have you back Zoe," smiled Kaori.

* * *

"The final will now begin, between Kaori from here in Vermillion and Mac from Pallet Town!"

"Cyndaquil, give it your all!"

"Corphish, let's win this!"

"Mac will be at a type advantage for this battle, can Kaori overcome it?" Squealed the MC excitedly.

"Cyndaquil, smokescreen!" The field was engulfed in black smoke, obscuring everyone's vision of the battle, just like her previous battle.

"Cyndaquil, quick attack!"

"Corphish, protect!"

A green glow emitted from the smoke, followed shortly by a crash from Cyndaquil hitting Corphish's protect. Cyndaquil toppled back out of the smoke, looking dazed.

Kaori whimpered as her points started to drop.

"Corphish, use swords dance!"

"That's what he did last time," muttered Kaori, "Cyndaquil, quick attack, stop that swords dance!"

This time Corphish was the one to emerge, blackened, from the smoke and Mac was the one to see his points fall.

"Bubblebeam, go!"

The bubbles parted the smoke, but Cyndaquil managed to dodge them at the last moment. Retaliating with a jet of flame. Corphish, defenceless after its attack, was hit head on by the flames and thrown backwards.

"Wow, that flamethrower is going to lower Mac's points!"

"Corphish, vice grip!"

"Cyndaquil, tackle!"

Both pokemon raced towards one another, Cyndaquil tried to connect with its shoulder, but Corphish hopped out of the way clamping its claws down on Cyndaquil. Cyndaquil squealed in pain and Kaori gasped fearfully.

"Now bubble beam!"

Corphish opened its claw for a second and blasted Cyndaquil across the field with a line of bubbles.

"Now, Swords dance!" Yelled Mac. Cyndaquil was too tired to stop it this time.

"Cyndaquil, flame wheel!" Cyndaquil rose slowly to its feet and began to spin, surrounding itself with flame.

"Corphish, crab hammer!"

"Will Cyndaquil take out Corphish with flame wheel or is Corphish just too strong?"

Cyndaquil span towards Corphish and the crab prepared to use crab hammer when suddenly a buzzer announced itself, signalling the end of the battle.

"And the winner of the Vermillion contest is… Mac from Pallet Town!" Screamed the MC and the audience burst into applause.  
Mac exploded with excitement pulling Corphish into a hug.

He jumped onto the stage, where Mr. Contester handed him the yellow Vermillion ribbon.

Kaori looked over to the stands and saw Zoe vaulting her way onto the field.

"You were awesome Kaori!" said Zoe, both girls clapping Mac enthusiastically.

"Yes but Mac deserved to win," smiled Kaori.

"So, are you gonna enter more contests?" Asked Zoe.

"Are you kidding me? Mac had better watch out, because next time I'm going to win!" Kaori said, in a voice so much like Zoe's that Zoe couldn't help but laugh.

* * *

Mac held out his ribbon case in front of him, watching the way the ribbon sparkled in the dying light.

"Hey Mac," Yelled Zoe, "Hurry up we need to head to the gym and find Nate, I wanna see if he managed to beat Surge!"

**So Mac won the ribbon  
Kaori got some confidence  
And Zoe learnt how to lose  
Aww, everyone got something out of this chapter… except stupid Griff!  
Anyhu please do read and review!  
P.S I am still accepting OC's as small roles!  
**


	13. Lt Surge VS Nate

"The gym battle between Lt. Surge and the challenger; Nate from Pallet Town, will now begin. It shall be a three on three battle, where only the challenger can make substitutions. Now begin!" Announced the judge.

"Kick his ass Surge!" Shouted Moby from the stands.

Machamp and Nate growled irritably, opposite them Voltorb rolled from side to side, its eyes bulging angrily.

"Ok Machamp, let's start this battle, Cross chop!"

Machamp crossed two of its four arms in front of it and they began to glow.

"Voltorb, dodge!"

Voltorb span out of the way almost impossibly quickly, Machamp's attack connected with thin air.

"Wow, that Voltorb's fast," muttered Nate, "Turn and use submission!"

Machamp charged at Voltorb but once more it was too fast, swirling out of the way.

"Voltorb, rollout!" The ball span quickly, head over heels, spinning towards Machamp. Voltorb slammed into Machamp, making it stumble back. Voltorb bounced on the floor and then immediately began its charge once more.

"Try and dodge it!" Cried Nate.

Machamp jumped out of the way, but Voltorb managed to turn and hit it in the air. Machamp tumbled back to the ground. Nate gritted his teeth as Machamp struggled to get up.

Rollout continued. Two times more, each time hurting Machamp even more, each time so fast that Machamp could not dodge it.  
Nate bit his lip nervously, unsure of what to do. Voltorb turned and prepared for its fifth and strongest rollout attack.

"Wait until Voltorb's just in front of you!" Ordered Nate.

"Why don't you just give up? Machamp's too slow!" Laughed Moby.

"Machamp, I believe in you! Revenge!"

"NO!" Shrieked Surge.

Voltorb crashed into Machamp at full force. Machamp returned the attack at double strength, hurling Voltorb through the air. It landed with a thump, but somehow was not quite defeated.

"Voltorb, explosion!" Laughed Surge.

"Machamp, look out!"

Voltorb glowed brightly before exploding in a cacophony of light and sound. The explosion engulfed Machamp and was so bright that Nate had to look away.

As he turned back, he saw Voltorb unconscious on the floor and he glanced over to where he expected to see a defeated Machamp.

He was surprised. Badly bruised and breathing heavily, but definitely still in the battle, Machamp gave Surge an angry glare.

"Voltorb is unable to battle, Machamp wins!" Announced the judge.

"I don't believe it…" muttered Surge, "Your Machamp is very strong, but don't think you've beaten me yet!" Yelled Surge.

"Magnemite, let's go!"

"Good work Machamp, you take a rest," whispered Nate, returning Machamp to its poke ball. "Now Charmander, come on out!"

The orange lizard growled defiantly, its tail burning brilliantly.

"Your puny Charmander doesn't stand a chance!" Laughed Moby, although slightly less sure of himself after Voltorb's defeat.

"Charmander, use metal claw!"

"Magnemite, lock on!"

Magnemite's eye glowed blue as it targeted on the incoming Charmander. Too late however as Charmander slammed its glowing claw into Magnemite, sending it skidding across the floor.

"Now Charmander follow up with a flame thrower!"

Magnemite was hit as it tried to rise again and thrown once more to the floor. Surge's grin was well and truly gone now.

"Magnemite, get up!" Surge barked, "Use thunderbolt!"

"Charmander, dodge it!" The orange lizard darted out of the way of the lightning at the last second.

"Nice one Charmander!"

But then, suddenly the electricity curled round on itself and shot towards Charmander, striking it in the back.

"Huh?" Gasped Nate.

"After using lock on, the next attack always hits, how can you not know that?" Asked Surge with disgust, as though Nate's ignorance was painful.

"Charmander, use rage!" Demanded Nate, eager to prove that he wasn't an idiot. Charmander launched its attack, kicking, scratching and biting the magnet pokemon.

"Magnemite, use screech!" Ordered Surge. The battlefield was filled with a horrible scraping, high pitched sound as Magnemite unleashed its screech attack.

Charmander slid back across the ground, hands on its head. Nate covered his ears and yelled out his next command, "Charmander, use flamethrower!"

Magnemite dodged out of the way of the flames just in time, the embers curling just underneath it.

"Thunder Wave, go!" Roared Surge. Magnemite let out a streak of lightning, which engulfed Charmander before it could do a thing. The electricity sparked and crackled across the lizard, rendering it immobile.

"No, Charmander!" Moaned Nate.

"Ha, it's paralyzed!" Laughed Moby.

"Time to finish up Magnemite! Tackle!" Ordered Surge. Magnemite charged at Charmander, taking advantage of its paralysis.

"Now Charmander, you have to snap out of it!" Charmander struggled against the electricity and suddenly burst free of it. Magnemite was too close to turn back so continued with its charge.

"Charmander, Metal Claw!" Charmander darted beneath Magnemite and slashed its claws up ferociously throwing Magnemite high into the air.

"Magnemite is unable to battle! Charmander is the winner!"

"Two down! And I haven't even broken a sweat!" Laughed Nate.

For once Moby stayed silent and Surge just glared angrily.

"You may have beaten two of my pokemon, but I sent out my apprentice to heal my very best pokemon," Snarled Surge, "Raichu, show them how it's done!"

Raichu appeared, looking good as new. It slapped its tail against the ground viciously, hopping eagerly from foot to foot.

"Charmander, you take a rest," Said Nate, returning Charmander to its poke ball. "Hmm, Charmander and Machamp are tired," murmured Nate to himself. "So Taillow, come out and make it three for three!" Taillow appeared, beating its wings rapidly and cawing.

"A flying type? You're going down!" Laughed Surge, although somewhat less happily than before.

"Hmmm, considering I have 3 pokemon left and you've got 1, I wouldn't be laughing," giggled Nate.

"How dare you?" Growled Surge, "Raichu, thunder punch!"

"Taillow, fly up high!" Taillow rose high into the air, dodging Raichu's attack by an inch.

"Thunderbolt!" Raichu let out a burst of lightning, which smashed into Taillow, throwing it from the air.

"Now, Iron Tail!" Raichu swatted Taillow from the air with its tail, sending it crashing into the ground.

"Taillow is unable to battle, Raichu is the winner!"

Nate gasped, Raichu was even stronger than he'd imagined. Taking out a fresh pokemon with two attacks was pretty incredible.

Suddenly having two, tired pokemon against one fresh, strong one didn't seem like such good odds.

"Machamp, come on out!" Cried Nate, throwing out a poke ball. The four-armed pokemon appeared, it was already breathing heavily, but it seemed prepared for battle.

"Good luck Nate, you'll need it," laughed Moby.

"Shut up Moby!" Snapped Nate. Moby just raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything else.

"Machamp, start with cross chop!"

"Raichu, Iron Tail!"

Machamp crossed its arms in front of itself and darted towards Raichu. At the same time Raichu's tail began to glow and Raichu pulled it back like a whip. The two attacks crashed into each other with incredible force. Both pokemon seemed equally strong, holding each other back.

Suddenly Raichu pulled its tail back, causing Machamp to stumble forwards from the shift in momentum. Then, with Machamp's guard down, Raichu used a crushing iron tail, throwing Machamp across the floor.

"Machamp, get back up! Use seismic toss!"

Nate looked to Surge but it seemed as though he wasn't going to try and block or dodge it. Machamp latched onto Raichu and launched them both into the air.

"Raichu, thunderbolt now!" Demanded Surge.

Suddenly Nate understood why Surge had not reacted earlier. With Raichu so close Machamp didn't stand a chance, dropping Raichu harmlessly to the floor.

"Machamp is unable to battle, Raichu is the winner!" Yelled the judge.

"Not looking so good now is it?" Jeered Surge.

"Someone's going to lose!" Laughed Moby.

Nate glared angrily at Moby, whilst unleashing his final pokemon; an already tired Charmander.

"It's about to be all over," promised Surge, "Wrap this up with quick attack!"

Raichu charged at Charmander with frightening speed.

"Flamethrower, now!" Charmander belched out a jet of flame, but Raichu dodged past it and slammed into Charmander, throwing it backwards.

"Charmander hang in there!" But Charmander was clearly struggling. Raichu rattled out attack after attack, each time too fast for Charmander to fight back.

"Raichu, finish it with a thunder punch!" Guffawed Surge.

"Charmander look out!" whimpered Nate.

Raichu leapt, once more, towards Charmander. But Charmander, rather than try to dodge and fight back just stood still, shining slightly.

Charmander began to shine brighter and brighter, until it was just a silhouette of brilliant white light. Raichu skidded to a halt, inches from the shining figure.

"Charmander?" Gasped Nate.

"It's evolving," whispered Moby.

The white light dispersed suddenly to reveal the form of a much larger, deep red dinosaur, its tail flaming brilliantly.

"Charmeleon!" It growled.

"Alright, Charmander evolved!" Cheered Nate. "Now, go flamethrower!"

Charmander took a deep breath and unleashed a fire attack.

But it wasn't a flamethrower.

The fire span in a spiral, trapping Raichu inside a whirlwind of flame.

"That's a fire spin!" said Nate excitedly. "Awesome, Charmeleon. Now, use metal claw!"

"Raichu, look out!"

Charmeleon burst through the flames, its long, sharp claws glowing. It slashed Raichu across its belly, before throwing it back through the flames. A blackened, exhausted Raichu tottered from the flames and slumped to the floor.

"Raichu is unable to battle, Charmeleon is the winner! That means the challenger, Nate, is the victor!" Announced the judge.

"Raichu!!" wailed Surge.

"You got lucky," sneered Moby, stomping out of the gym.

"We did it!" cheered Nate, hugging Charmeleon and singeing his arm on its burning tail.

Kaori pulled Nate into a hug, "nice work on getting your third badge!" Smiled Kaori, "I can see that you and Machamp are going to be a great team."

"Oh and Mac, I'm going to enter another contest and next time maybe I'll beat you!" she laughed.

"I'm looking forward to it," Mac laughed back.

"I'm going to miss you Mac," said Griff sadly. "You too Nate. And you," Zoe looked at Griff expectantly as he stopped in front of her, "you owe me two moonstones!" He yelled.

The five figures parted, waving back over their shoulders as they went. Kaori and Griff slowly melted out of sight, leaving just Mac, Zoe and Nate walking along the forest road.

"Celadon city, here we come!" Yelled Nate, breaking into a run. Mac and Zoe chasing just behind.

**Awww, Kaori and Griff have gone!**

**But Nate's managed to get his third badge and a newly evolved Charmeleon **

**Can everyone please just keep reading and reviewing!**


	14. Return of Allegra

"Breakfast time guys!" Yelled Mac, pouring some pokemon food into the various bowls situated around their fold out table.

"Awesome, come on out guys!" Cried Nate; throwing out his four poke balls. Charmeleon, Taillow, Buizel and Machamp appeared, jostling for prime position in front of the food bowl.

"There's food for you as well!" Laughed Zoe, hurling her four pokemon out. Wartortle, Solrock, Nidoqueen and Poochyena burst from their poke balls and began to chow down.

"You three as well!" Cried Mac; chucking his three poke balls into the air. Bulbasaur, Pachirisu and Corphish appeared. Corphish pushed the other two out of the way as it scuttled quickly over to its food.

"Corphish!" Giggled Mac, as he, Nate and Zoe sat down to eat their breakfast.

"My Thunder badge is so awesome," said Nate, gazing down at his badge case, at the same time spooning cereal into his mouth.

"Hey, I've got one as well you know," replied Zoe, her mouth full.

"Well, I've got my first ribbon," gloated Mac, "and my second one is going to be just around the corner!"

"Hey Zoe, I can't believe that your Squirtle evolved as well, that's awesome," grinned Nate.

"Your Charmeleon's pretty awesome too," Zoe admitted. Then both trainers turned to look at Mac.

"I'm happy with my Bulbasaur just the way it is!" Yelled Mac, slamming his spoon down.

"Stressy…" mumbled Nate under his breath.

* * *

"Alright time for some training!" Announced Nate. Zoe nodded her agreement and began organising her pokemon.

"Solrock, start practicing your fire spin. Nidoqueen, focus punch training. Wartortle, you work on your new skull bash attack and Poochyena, carry on training up your dig attack." Ordered Zoe, her pokemon instantly launching themselves into their training.

"Charmeleon why don't you spar with Machamp?" Suggested Nate, "Buizel, you can practice your water gun and Taillow you can keep working on your wing attack!"

Mac left the two trainers to practice their battling techniques and went to explore the forest around them. Corphish, Pachirisu and Bulbasaur followed behind him, sniffing around at interesting bits of foliage.

"We might find some interesting pokemon here," mumbled Mac to himself, looking around the undergrowth surrounding him.

Suddenly a streak of red flitted across between a clearing and Mac jumped through the bushes to catch it. He landed on top of the pokemon and brought them both crashing to the floor. However upon studying the "pokemon" Mac discovered it was in fact a very familiar freckled red head.

"Allegra?" he gasped.

"Mac?" she shrieked back, jumping to her feet and hugging him tightly. "I don't believe I found you all the way out here!" she exclaimed.

"Me neither, what are you doing here?" He asked.

"Well, after I lost my most recent contest I decided to go and capture some new pokemon for my team." She explained.

"Oh Allegra look," Mac said, pulling out his ribbon case, "my first ribbon!" He said proudly, showing Allegra his yellow Vermillion ribbon.

"That's awesome Mac!" said Allegra happily, "I've got three now!" she grinned, flashing her three sparkling ribbons snug in their ribbon case.

"So have you caught any new pokemon for your next contest?" Questioned Mac; slightly put out that Allegra already had three ribbons.

"I've managed to get one!" Smiled Allegra, throwing out a poke ball. The poke ball burst open to reveal a green plant with two roses for hands.

"Wow, a Roselia!" Remarked Mac, "You know I have a pokemon egg as well," Mac said, eager to impress Allegra.

"I think we should have a battle Mac," said Allegra.

"What?" he replied, confused.

"It's been a while since that Pewter contest, I want to see how much you've progressed," she explained.

"Fine, but don't think you'll win," grinned Mac.

"Awesome, I'll use Roselia and Espeon!" Allegra cried, throwing out another poke ball. Another pokemon appeared beside Roselia, it resembled a purple fox with a red dot on its forehead; its tail had a split in the end so it looked like two tails.

"So your Eevee evolved!" Exclaimed Mac, "don't think you'll win because of that though, Bulbasaur, Pachirisu, lets go!"

"Bulbasaur, you show them that you can win without evolving!" Yelled Mac.

Bulbasaur nodded and prepared for battle, Pachirisu grinned mischievously, electricity sparking off it.

"Roselia, start things with off with toxic!" Cried Allegra. Roselia brandished its roses and unleashed a wave of purple liquid.

"Pachirisu, Bulbasaur, dodge it!" Both of Mac's pokemon leapt out of the way, dodging the toxic attack narrowly.

"Now Bulbasaur, razor leaf! Pachirisu, spark!"

Bulbasaur shot out a line of spinning leaves at Espeon. At the same time Pachirisu began to run towards Roselia, electricity crackling at its cheeks.

"Espeon, use confusion on the leaves!" Commanded Allegra. The spinning leaves began to turn slower and slower until eventually grinding to a halt.

"Now, send them right back!" Mac gasped as Bulbasaur's attack was sent back at him. The leaves crashed into Bulbasaur, throwing it to the floor.

Meanwhile Pachirisu was racing towards Roselia, "Roselia, sleep powder!" Yelled Allegra. Pachirisu was immersed in an orange fog; it crashed sleepily to the ground.

"Now throw it back with petal dance!" Roselia let out a whirlwind of pink petals, hurling Pachirisu back towards Mac, where it landed with a thud.

Mac's pokemon rose slowly to their feet. Mac gritted his teeth nervously as he felt the déjà vu of his last battle with Allegra.

Suddenly the bulb on the back of Bulbasaur's back began to glow. Mac gasped with excitement, "YAY, Bulbasaur's evolving!" He chanted, watching as Bulbasaur's entire body began to glow.

As the glow faded, it revealed that the bulb on Bulbasaur's back had opened to show a brilliant pink flower.

"Awesome, Bulbasaur evolved into Ivysaur!" Cheered Mac, "Now, Ivysaur… uh?" Mac trailed off as Ivysaur's flower began to glow once more.

"Is it evolving again?" said Mac to himself.

"No Mac, its using synthesis," explained Allegra, "anyway don't think just because your pokemon evolved you'll win! Espeon, Swift! Roselia, Magical Leaf!"

Ivysaur and Pachirisu found themselves under a barrage of stars and leaves.

"Pachirisu, use bide! Ivysaur, get behind Pachirisu!"

Ivysaur darted behind Pachirisu as the small squirrel began to take in energy.

"Pachirisu, unleash that energy!" Yelled Mac. Pachirisu squeaked furiously, letting out a wave of white energy.

Both Espeon and Roselia were thrown backwards by the force of the attack.

"Now Ivysaur, vine whip on Roselia!"

Ivysaur leapt out from its hiding place and unfurled two long green vines, ensnaring Roselia and lifting it into the air.

"Pachirisu, discharge!"

"Espeon, Shadow Ball!" shrieked Allegra.

Pachirisu let out a huge surge of electricity, shocking all the pokemon on the field including Ivysaur. Moments later a swirling ball of purple energy slammed into Pachirisu, sending in skidding across the forest floor.

"Looks like Roselia's down and out." Conceded Allegra, returning the thorn pokemon to its poke ball.

"And Pachirisu's gone too," Said Mac, returning his Pachirisu as well.

"Well its one on one now," said Allegra, "Espeon, psywave!"

Espeon shot out a multicoloured beam of energy, which slammed into Ivysaur, throwing it back.

"Ivysaur you have to hang in there!" Yelled Mac, "Now, razor leaf!"

"Espeon, Double team!" Suddenly the field was covered in dozens of Espeons, all of them watching Ivysaur avidly.

"Just hit them all Ivysaur!" The leaves flew through Espeon after Espeon. However every time they just disappeared.

"Espeon, shadow ball!" The fakes vanished to leave the one real Espeon. It leant back on its haunches and charged up a ball of purple ghost energy. The shadow ball flew towards Ivysaur at incredible speed.

"Ivysaur, use vine whip to stop that shadow ball!" Ivysaur's vines crashed into the shadow ball, making it explode noisily.

"Now, tackle!" Yelled Mac.

"Espeon, Swift!"

Ivysaur charged towards Espeon, its feet pounding loudly on the wet ground. Espeon unleashed a line of shimmering stars, which smashed into Ivysaur's legs bringing it to its knees.

"Now Espeon, use tackle!" Commanded Allegra.

The sun pokemon crashed into Ivysaur, sending it flying onto its back. Ivysaur then lay still.

"Ivysaur…no…" whispered Mac. Reluctantly, Mac returned Ivysaur to its poke ball.

Allegra stroked Espeon behind its ear before returning it to its poke ball. "That was an awesome battle, Mac." Smiled Allegra.

"Thanks. Well at least you were awesome…" he muttered.

"Mac, that was a really close battle!" Insisted Allegra, "I got lucky, the battle could have gone either way."

"Thanks Allegra. So are you heading to the Celadon contest?" Asked Mac.

"Can't," replied Allegra simply.

"Why not?"

"Don't you know the specifications of the Celadon contest?" Allegra asked incredulously.

"Um…no…" Mac admitted sheepishly.

"You have to perform a double appeal and then do a double battle," she explained, "so you need four pokemon."

"But I've only got…" began Mac.

"Three." Finished Allegra.

"Aw man, I really wanted to get my second ribbon," moaned Mac.

"You could try and catch a fourth pokemon by then," suggested Allegra.

"You're right!" Shouted Mac, "I'm going to catch myself a fourth pokemon!"

"Oh Mac," laughed Allegra, "Your so confident, if anyone's going to get to the Grand festival its you."

"The Grand what?" Asked Mac.

"The grand festival!" Allegra repeated, shocked that Mac didn't know what it was. "The grand festival is the biggest event of on the co-ordinating calendar! Its where all the best co-ordinators go to compete for the ribbon cup, the most prestigious prize a co-ordinator can win."

"That sounds awesome, I totally want to enter!" Exclaimed Mac.

"You can't just enter like that. For the Kanto grand festival you need to win four ribbons from official contests. Which means you need three more."

"I see…" said Mac slowly. "So three more ribbons and I'm in, that doesn't sound too hard!"

Mac began to run off back towards his camp, before suddenly sliding to a halt and running back to Allegra.

"Um, do you want to come with me?" He asked shyly.

"Sorry Mac, but I have to find some more pokemon _and _train my Roselia up some more."

"Oh…" replied Mac sadly, "oh never mind."

Mac began to walk off towards his camp, waving back to Allegra.

"I'm sorry Pachirisu, I'm sorry Ivysaur, next time we'll win," he whispered to his poke balls.

Suddenly from up ahead he heard the sound of a pokemon battle.

Pushing through the trees he walked onto the site of Zoe and Nate battling, Wartortle versus Charmeleon.

"Wartortle, bubble beam!"

"Charmeleon, fire spin!"

The two attacks collided in mid air, letting off an enormous cloud of smoke.

"Hey you guys," yelled Mac, making his presence known. "I'm back and I've got a surprise!" he announced. Nate, Zoe, Wartortle and Charmeleon stopped battling and walked over to Mac to see what he wanted.

"Say hello to my newly evolved Ivysaur!" He grinned, releasing his new pokemon.

"Wow," gasped Zoe, "that's awesome, now we all have evolved starters!"

"Damn," cursed Nate, "That sucks, now we _all _have evolved starters!"

**Hope you enjoyed that chapter!  
I know that it is meant to be five wins for the grand festival, but I decided to change it for my story  
Allegra made another appearance and showed off her new Roselia  
Please keep reading and reviewing!**

**P.S Go to my website, the address is on my profile, its an online pokemon game!**


	15. Winning Streak

**The unbeaten Trainer Luther challenges you! **

**Have a chance to face the glorious Luther in battle!**

**78 wins in a row and counting!**

"Who does this guy think he is," asked Zoe, gazing up at the newly painted sign.

"Whoever he is, I'm ready to end his winning streak!" Grinned Nate.

"Mac? You going to take him on?" Asked Zoe, flicking her hair out of her eyes.

"Not today, I need to catch another pokemon for the Celadon contest, remember?" replied Mac, beginning to walk away from the other two trainers.

"No!" Shrieked Zoe, dragging Mac back by the arm. "You've been looking for pokemon for days and days, take a break!" Zoe insisted.

"But…" Began Mac.

"Come on Mac! Lets end his streak three times over!"

Unable to pull himself out of Zoe's vice like grip, Mac found himself being dragged into the tall, white building.

Inside was unnaturally cool and pitch black.

"Luther?" Nate called out, uncertainly.

"Is anyone here?" Yelled Zoe.

Their voices echoed around the room, chasing one another across the corners.

Suddenly strip lights burst into action, blinding the three trainers. As their eyes accustomed to the light, they found themselves on an enormous battlefield, littered with enormous boulders and seats around the edge for watching. A counter displaying: 78 wins in a row, hung high on the eastern wall.

"Presenting the brilliant, unbeaten trainer, LUTHER!" Screamed an announcement over the intercom. The double doors at the end of the field burst open to reveal…

A short, fat man, with long lank hair. He was wearing a leather jacket and a tight T-shirt, which was unable to cover his paunch. He grinned, flashing a number of gold teeth, then scratched his behind as he marched over to the bemused trainers.

"Alright, so who wants to fight the incredible LUTHER!" Roared Luther, so loudly that even Zoe had to cover her ears.

"Um, us three want to fight you," explained Nate.

"VERY WELL!" He shouted once more, causing Mac to grimace.

"Who's first?"

"I'll take you on first!" Announced Nate, walking across to the challenger's box. Meanwhile Zoe and Mac took their seats on the bench.

"It will be a one on one battle, choose your pokemon!" Shouted Luther, throwing out a poke ball.

"I choose Hariyama!" A large beige human-shaped pokemon appeared with huge hands. It slashed through the air with its hands angrily.

"Ok, Buizel, lets do this!" Buizel appeared, standing on its nose, its legs flailing in the air.

"Buizel, take this seriously!" Groaned Nate. Buizel giggled before flipping back onto its feet and preparing for battle.

"Hariyama, use arm thrust!" Hariyama charged at Buizel, pumping its hands back and forth.

"Buizel, swift!" Buizel jumped into the air and sent a line of stars spiralling into Hariyama.

However Hariyama did not stop. It continued on, slamming into Buizel and throwing it across the field.

"Come on Nate you can do it!" Yelled Zoe.

"Come on Buizel!" Chanted Mac.

"Buizel, use razor wind!" Buizel let out line after line of shimmering energy straight towards Hariyama. But Luther did not attempt to dodge or counter.

"Take the hit Hariyama." Hariyama stood resolutely as the razor wind thundered into it. "Now, seismic toss!"

Hariyama wrapped its arms around Buizel and launched them both into the air.

"Buizel, try and escape! Uh… Water Gun!" Buizel opened its mouth and let out a burst of water, straight into Hariyama's chest. However Hariyama continued to cling on tight to Buizel, turning vertically in mid air.

"Buizel, no!" Hariyama slammed Buizel into the ground, leaving it looking battered and broken.

"Buizel, can you get up?" Asked a worried Nate. Buizel struggled back onto its feet, its joking attitude now completely gone.

"Hariyama, Belly Drum!" Hariyama crashed its enormous hands into its stomach emitting a booming sound, which echoed around the high-ceilinged wall.

"Nate, look out! Hariyama's attack will be at maximum strength now!" Yelled Mac, from the bench.

"Yes, but that Belly drum will have lowered Hariyama's health," muttered Nate. "Buizel, Aqua Jet, now!" Buizel immersed itself in water and shot forwards towards Hariyama.

"Hariyama, finish this with focus punch!" Demanded Luther. Hariyama drew its hand back and it began to glow.

"Buizel, NO!" Wailed Nate.

Hariyama slammed its fist into Buizel, throwing it backwards across the ground. It landed with a soft thud, just in front of Nate.

"CONGRATULATIONS LUTHER!" Screamed the intercom. "79 wins in a row!"

"Buizel, return!" Nate said reluctantly, "Thanks a lot, you did great."

"Hariyama return," said Luther, "That took you a long time," he sneered at the poke ball.

"Alright which one of you losers is next?" Giggled Luther, his fat belly wobbling.

"I'll give it a shot," said Mac slowly, he had heard what Luther said to his Hariyama and was sure that he did not like this opponent.

"Ivysaur, lets go!" Mac cried, unleashing his new evolved starter.

"hmmm, Cranidos, come on out!" Luther unleashed a small bipedal rock pokemon with a blue skull plate.

"Ok Cranidos, lets make it to 80 wins!"

"You can do it Mac," yelled Nate, glaring angrily at Luther.

"Ok, start things off with razor leaf!"

"Cranidos, take the hit!"

Zoe gasped as Cranidos remained where it was and took the flurry of leaves. "But grass is super effective against rock types," She muttered. "That guy sure has an interesting strategy."

"Now, Cranidos take down!" Ordered Luther, his beady eyes stuck on Ivysaur.

Cranidos pounded across the field towards Ivysaur, head lowered like a battering ram.

"Ivysaur, dodge it!" Ivysaur darted out of the way at the last moment, leaving Cranidos to skid to a halt.

"WHAT! Cranidos you idiot! Use take down again!" Demanded Luther.

"Ivysaur, keep dodging!" Cried Mac. The seed pokemon hopped once more out of the way, much faster than the lumbering Cranidos.

"Ivysaur, vine whip!" Ivysaur unfurled its long green vines and slapped them at Cranidos, throwing it backwards onto the floor.

"I think I understand…" said Zoe quietly, "Luther's pokemon have high defence so he lets them take all the hits, because he knows they can survive it. Then he relies on strong offence to defeat his tired opponents. The only thing he doesn't have is speed."

"Cranidos, get back up!" Barked Luther. "Now, rock tomb!" Mac gasped as rocks shot from the floor. Ivysaur became trapped between two and unable to move.

"Ivysaur, you have to break free!" Yelled Mac.

"Cranidos, go for another take down!"

Cranidos slammed into Ivysaur, smashing through the rocks and throwing it across the ground.

"Now, finish it with Zen head butt!"

Cranidos's skull plate began to glow with a strange pulsing light. It slammed its skull into Ivysaur, sending it skidding across the floor and slamming it into a wall.

"CONGRATULATIONS LUTHER!" Screamed the recorded message. "80 wins in a row!"

"Nice try loser!" Jeered Luther, returning his Cranidos. "Now, little lady, time for you to lose as well!"

"No way, I got you pegged!" She giggled, "Poochyena, come give me a hand!"

Zoe unleashed the little black dog pokemon, it remained silent, blinking slowly.

"Poochyena hasn't fought in a proper battle before," murmured Nate.

"Yeh, but Zoe seems pretty confident," replied Mac.

"Alright meet my new warrior Sandslash!" Yelled Luther, throwing out a third poke ball. A small yellow mouse-like pokemon appeared. It had dark brown scales on its back and long claws.

"Wow, I wonder if Zoe can win it?" Whispered Nate.

There was silence as Zoe and Luther eyed one another.

"Ok Poochyena, sand attack lets go!" Poochyena dug its heels into the ground sending up a wave of sand into Sandslash.

"You see Luther, I know you can take on any frontal assault easily. But I have a feeling that defensive attacks may provide you with a bit more of a problem," Grinned Zoe.

"Sandslash, use focus punch!" Sandslash swung its fist at Poochyena, but connected with thin air, it's aiming off due to sand in its eyes.

"Poochyena, while he's stumbling, take down!"

Poochyena slammed into Sandslash, sending it rolling back across the ground.

"Nice one Zoe!" Yelled Nate.

"Don't celebrate yet! Sandslash turn that fall into a rapid spin!" Commanded Luther.

Sandslash continued to roll backwards, faster and faster. Suddenly it twisted low to the ground and returned back towards Poochyena.

"I know that Sandslash is going to be a hard-hitter. So I guess I'll get out of the way. Poochyena, dig!" Cried Zoe.

"That's a good strategy," conceded Luther, "but not good enough. Sandslash, dig!"

Zoe gasped as Sandslash, still spinning, burrowed underground.

"Poochyena, be careful!" She warned.

Suddenly a squeal erupted from under the ground and a small black dog came flying out onto the battlefield.

"Poochyena!" Zoe squealed.

"Ha, I told you I'm unbeatable!" Laughed Luther.

"I can beat you!" Stated Zoe. "Poochyena get back up!"

Poochyena struggled to its feet, its whole body shaking.

"I'm not done yet!" Giggled Luther.

Unexpectedly Sandslash burst out of the hole just in front of Poochyena slamming its claws into its stomach.

"Why don't you just give up!" Guffawed Luther.

"Never!" Yelled Zoe, "come on Poochyena, I believe in you!"

Poochyena began to glow steadily. All four trainers gasped as Poochyena's body began to shimmer.

"It's… evolving…" whispered Luther.

The white figure grew larger, its tail grew longer.

Suddenly the light faded leaving a ferocious looking wolf with blood red eyes and vicious sharp fangs.

"Awesome, a Mightyena!" Squealed Zoe. "Now Mightyena go for a take down!"

The enormous wolf bounded across the field towards Sandslash, taking huge leaping strides.

"Sandslash, defence curl!" Zoe was surprised as Sandslash curled into a tight ball, showing only its scales.

"You see Zoe, my pokemon do know defensive moves, just in case." He smirked.

Mightyena skidded to a halt as though confused about what to do. Then it leaned back on its haunches and charged up a swirling purple ball of energy.

"Mightyena, you learnt shadow ball? That's great! Mightyena use Shadow ball!" Mightyena unleashed the sphere straight at Sandslash. It hit so hard that it threw Sandslash from its protective stance.

"Sandslash, what are you doing?" Shrieked Luther. "When I tell you to use defence curl, you do it!" He roared, "Now go use fury swipes!"

Sandslash darted at Mightyena, hacking and slashing furiously.

"Mightyena, jump over him!"

Mightyena used its new, much longer, legs to leap over Sandslash, placing it in prime position for a counter.

"Now, take down!"

"SANDSLASH TURN AROUND YOU IDIOT!" Screamed Luther.  
Mightyena charged into Sandslash's back, throwing it to the floor.

"ERROR: RESET!" Announced the intercom, "0 wins in a row!"

"Nice one Mightyena, you were awesome!" She screeched, hugging Mightyena tight while it licked her face.

"Sandslash you failed me!" roared Luther, looking down on Sandslash with pure hatred.

"NO!" Cried Mac, jumping to his feet. "Sandslash tried his best, you can't blame him!"

"His best wasn't good enough," sneered Luther. "I should never have caught you," he remarked.

"You're just bitter because you lost!" Yelled Nate.

"You can say whatever you want," Luther growled, "but I am done with this Sandslash."

Luther grabbed Sandslash's poke ball and hurled it out of the building.

"Why did you do that?" Asked Zoe, but Luther was ignoring them.

"When I get back, you'd better be gone," he snarled at Sandslash, before marching off through the double doors.

Zoe, Nate and Mac were silent as they watched him slam the doors behind himself.

"What a sore loser," said Zoe, returning her Mightyena to its poke ball.

Sandslash sat despondently on the battlefield, not looking at anyone.  
"Hey Sandslash," said Mac, pitying the poor abandoned pokemon. "Would you like to come along with me?"

Sandslash looked up questioningly as though it didn't believe Mac.

"Don't listen to Luther. Listen to me. You fought really well and I'd love to have you on my team." Grinned Mac.

Slowly, Sandslash rose to its feet and nodded. Before yelling its name happily.

"See Mac, I told you taking a break would be a good idea!" Giggled Zoe.

Mac grinned back at her, with a new pokemon on his team he was ready for Celadon and ready to win his second ribbon.


	16. Vileplume and Victreebell!

"Wow, this place is huge," murmured Zoe, stepping inside the enormous glass building. Inside was a jungle of exotic plants and trees. Sunlight streamed through the glass panels above and the air was hot and humid. Pokemon could be seen moving amongst the flora.

"I wonder where the gym leader is?" asked Nate, looking around the enormous green house.

"I bet I can find her first!" Yelled Zoe, sprinting off through the trees, leaving Nate to cough on the dust cloud she created.

* * *

"Corphish, Pachirisu, take the stage!" Cried Mac; throwing out his two poke balls. The crowd burst into applause as the crab and squirrel appeared beneath the spotlight.

"So, we have a water type Corphish and an electric type Pachirisu. But how will Mac show them off?" Questioned the MC, looking stunning in a floor length green dress. A bright pink rose adorned her hair and the rose matched her sparkly pink shoes.

"Ok, let's do this thing! Pachirisu, sweet kiss!" Pachirisu pressed its fingers to its lips before smacking its lips audibly together. Glossy red hearts spilled out from Pachirisu, gliding up towards the lights.

"How adorable!" Squealed the MC, clutching her hands to her chest.

"Now Corphish, bubble beam!" Corphish held out its claw and let out a gentle stream of bubbles, each one swallowing a heart. Little heart filled snow globes bobbed happily around the arena.

"Now, Pachirisu, swift!" The little electric squirrel hopped up onto Corphish's back and then leapt high into the air. Then, crunching its petite body, Pachirisu let off jets of stars in all directions, popping all the bubbles.

Twisting into a gymnastic dive, Pachirisu dive-bombed back down towards the ground, landing cleanly on Corphish's claw.

"Wow, what a beautiful combination!" Gasped the MC, "I wonder what the judges have to say?"

"Clearly Corphish and Pachirisu are well-trained pokemon. 8.9!"

"I can see that both pokemon trust Mac a lot! Especially Pachirisu's death defying fall! 9.6!"

"A brilliantly co-ordinated and executed performance, 9.4!"

"That gives the Mac a brilliant score of 27.9!"

Mac grinned as he strolled off the stage, Corphish and Pachirisu skipping behind.

* * *

Nate raced through the trees, being careful to avoid low hanging branches. His mind was set on the battle ahead. He knew that Erika used two grass pokemon and that the gym battle would be a double battle. He began to wonder which pokemon he should select for the battle whilst his feet continued to pound beneath him.

An unexpected bump in the path sent Nate flying, head over hills, leaving him sprawled on the earth.

Nate looked back angrily to try and find the source of his fall. A small green bulb sat in the path behind him, looking at him with beady eyes.

"Turtwig!" It grinned.

"Oh, it's a Turtwig," laughed Nate, rubbing the little green pokemon's head. Suddenly, Turtwig opened its jaw and clamped down on Nate's fingers, crushing them mercilessly.

"Oh!!" Squealed Nate, "let go! PLEASE!"

Reluctantly, Turtwig let go of Nate's fingers, giving him a sheepish grin.

"I guess I'll forgive you," said Nate, now much more careful of its hands, "So you're one of Erika's pokemon, I assume."

"ERIKA!" Nate remembered, jumping to his feet. "I'm meant to be finding her!" Nate prepared to sprint further into the greenhouse, but found himself snagged on a tree branch. Leaning down to unhook his trousers he discovered a large green jaw clinging onto his trouser leg.

"Uh… you are not going to let me go, are you?" groaned Nate.

* * *

"Now Persian, shadow ball!"

"Flaafy, Thunder bolt!"

Mac watched as the tall, blond, skinny co-ordinator ordered her pokemon around the arena. He could see that this girl was definitely a foe to be reckoned with.

As Persian and Flaafy finished with a synchronized spin, the girl turned to the camera and blew a kiss. Mac grinned, as though the kiss had been intended for him.

"And that gives Elise a score of 28.4!" Screamed the MC, the crowd began to chant Elise's name. They chanted it like a crowd who had done it before. Mac could tell that this wasn't her first contest.

Mac hurried over to the doors as Elise strutted in. She was even more striking in person. Long blonde hair, impossibly skinny and tall, glossy red lips. She wore skinny blue designer jeans and a white zip up top that hugged her perfect shape.

"You were…amazing," spluttered Mac.

"I'm sorry," she sneered, "Who are you?"

"I'm… Mac, a co-ordinator." Mac explained.

"Oh… right," she said patronizingly, "Your first contest?"

"No, its my third," Mac laughed, "I won the contest in Vermillion."

"Oh… wow," said Elise sarcastically, but still paying slightly more attention to Mac, "well I've already got two ribbons and I'm about to get my third."

"Not if I beat you to it!" Laughed Mac, but Elise fixed him with a steely glare.

"You may think you're very strong… Mac," she hissed, "But my father has bought me the best pokemon money can buy and _you _don't stand a chance." With that she turned on her heel and strutted off towards the changing rooms.

* * *

"Ok Zoe, I'm ready to battle," smiled Erika. "It will be a double battle, first to KO their opponents two pokemon."

"Awesome, I'm ready when you are!" Grinned Zoe. "Although I wonder where Nate's got to," she muttered.

"Ok! Vileplume, Victreebell, help me out!" Erika threw out two poke balls, each one bursting open in front her. They revealed a large yellow pitcher plant and a huge red flower with a little blue body.

"Alright… Let's go Nidoqueen and Solrock!" Cried Zoe, releasing her two pokemon.

"I hope that you put on a good show!" Encouraged Erika, "Vileplume, petal dance, go!"

Vileplume spun on one foot and let out a whirlwind of pink petals. They span towards Nidoqueen at lightning speed.

"Solrock, stop them with confusion!" Solrock's eyes glowed blue as it froze the petals in mid air.

"Now, Victreebell, vine whip!"

Solrock was defenceless, using all its power to hold the petals. The vines slammed into the rock pokemon, throwing it backwards.

"Nidoqueen, focus punch!" Nidoqueen charged forwards its fist glowing brightly.

"Zoe, focus punch only works when your opponent isn't going to hit back. Victreebell, slam!"

Victreebell threw itself at Nidoqueen, sending it skidding back across the floor, its fist losing all power.

"Zoe, come on you can do it!" Yelled Nate, running onto the scene, Turtwig at his heels.

"I see you have some support Zoe, but don't think I'm going to go easy! Victreebell, razor leaf! Vileplume, petal dance!"

Both plants unleashed their attacks in a flurry of petals and leaves.

"Solrock, use fire spin!" Solrock belched out a spiralling vortex of flame, eating through the incoming attack.

"Nidoqueen, earthquake!" The blue dinosaur slammed its foot into the ground, splitting the earth beneath them. Vileplume and

Victreebell were thrown backwards and Zoe grinned happily.

"Now, Vileplume, solar beam!"

Vileplume began to charge energy in its flower.

"Zoe, quick you have to stop that solar beam!"

"Solrock, fire spin, again!"

Solrock fired out another spiral of flame.

"Victreebell, protect Vileplume!"

Victreebell darted in front of Vileplume, taking the powerful fire attack.

"But grass pokemon are weak against fire!" Gasped Nate. Turtwig bit his ankle angrily, annoyed that Nate wasn't paying attention to it.

"Nidoqueen, go for a double kick!"

Nidoqueen pounded towards Vileplume, but it was too late.

Vileplume had charged up and unleashed an enormous beam of light energy. It crashed into Nidoqueen, throwing it backwards and the beam carried on striking Solrock as well.

"Nidoqueen, Solrock, no!" Cried Zoe.

"Victreebell, synthesis!"

"So that was her plan," gasped Nate, "she let Victreebell take the heavy hit, knowing she would have a chance to heal later. Look out Zoe, she sure is clever!"

Nidoqueen rose to her feet and Solrock levitated back into the air.  
"Solrock and Nidoqueen use hyper beam!" Ordered Zoe.

"Vileplume, Victreebell, dodge it!" The two plants leapt out of the way at the last second, narrowly dodging defeat.

"Zoe, you shouldn't use hyper beam, unless you're sure it will hit. Because now both your pokemon need to recharge." She smiled evilly.

"Vileplume, use petal dance! Victreebell, Razor leaf!"

Both attacks slammed into Zoe's fighters throwing them both back onto the floor.

"Solrock, Nidoqueen, get back up!"

Nidoqueen, pushed itself back onto her feet, her whole body shaking. Solrock floated back up as well, but it was clear that they both couldn't take much more.

"Solrock, use hyper beam!"

"Zoe! Didn't you learn from last time?" Roared Nate.

"Victreebell, Vileplume, dodge again!"

"Now Nidoqueen, focus punch!"

Vileplume leapt out of the way of the beam straight into Nidoqueen's glowing fist. "Now, Nidoqueen thunderbolt!"

Nidoqueen let off a bolt of lightning which shocked both of Erika's pokemon, making them the ones to fall for once.

"Good strategy Zoe," conceded Erika, "but don't think you've won yet!"

"Victreebell, use slam!" Vileplume rushed towards Nidoqueen, but Zoe was prepared.

"Nidoqueen grab onto Victreebell!" Nidoqueen latched onto Victreebell, digging in with its sharp claws.

"Vileplume, use petal dance, stop Nidoqueen!"

"Solrock, confusion!"

The petals were held in mid air by an eerie blue light, leaving Vileplume powerless.

"Send those petals back!"

Solrock turned Vileplume's attack back on itself, the petals slamming into vileplume's weak body.

"Now Nidoqueen, use hyper beam!" Nidoqueen, still holding Victreebell, unleashed a devastating hyper beam, hurling Victreebell back across the grass.

"Solrock, fire spin!"

Vileplume was hit full on by the flames and thrown backwards to land on top of Victreebell.

"Victreebell and Vileplume are unable to battle! Zoe is the winner!" Announced the judge.

Nate cheered happily and even Turtwig hopped to and fro in a celebratory dance. "Congratulations Zoe, that was a spectacular battle. I'm proud to award you the rainbow badge!"

"Now Nate, I assume you want to go next?"

"Definitely!" Grinned Nate, "I'm going to use…" but Turtwig nudging him in the back of his leg interrupted him.

"What is it Turtwig?" asked Nate confused.

"I think Turtwig wants to battle for you…" said Zoe slowly.  
"But Turtwig, you're Erika's pokemon."

"No, that Turtwig isn't mine," said Erika, "It turned up here a few weeks ago, so I just let it stay in the greenhouse. It's mostly just stayed out of everyone's way, but obviously it likes you a lot."

"Turtwig?" Nate asked, "You want to come with me?"

Turtwig nodded happily, latching its jaw around Nate's leg once more.

"OHHHH!" He squealed, "I'm glad you're so enthusiastic, but let me go!"

"Ha," giggled Erika shyly, "if you want I can give you some time to practice with Turtwig."

"Thanks that would be awesome," smiled Nate, shaking Turtwig off his trouser leg.

"Alright Turtwig let's get training!" Cried Nate.

**So Nate's got a new pokemon on his team  
And a gym battle leading up  
But how will Mac cope in the contest?**


	17. The Celadon Contest

"Sandslash, swift! Ivysaur, razor leaf!"

The stars and leaves flew into the two opposing pokemon, throwing them both to the floor.

"Murkrow and Butterfree are unable to battle! Which means, with three minutes to spare, Mac is moving onto round 2!"

The crowd cheered excitedly as the big screen flashed up pictures of Mac, Sandslash and Ivysaur. Mac returned Sandslash and Ivysaur, thanking them as he did. Then he strode off backstage as the MC began to commentate on the second match.

"So you're through to the second round," drawled Elise. She was lounging on a nearby sofa, eating a bunch of fair trade, organic grapes.

"Of course I'm through Elise," growled Mac, "I'm winning this contest, whether you like it or not."

"I'm glad you're through Mac."

"Really?" said Mac, surprised.

"Yes, I want the pleasure of crushing you myself," she snarled. "So make sure you get to the finals, because we're on opposite ends of the tournament so we wont be seeing each other until then."

"I'm looking forward to beating you," he giggled, ambling off happily.

"I'm the first one through," he muttered to himself, "that ribbon has my name on it."

* * *

"Get ready for the start of round 2!" Shrieked the MC, gesticulating wildly. "It's Mac vs. Ann Marie, they both won convincingly in the first round, but who will be moving on to the finals?"

"Sandslash, Ivysaur, take the stage!" Mac's two pokemon appeared, ready and waiting for battle.

Mac looked at his opponent. She was small and had long dark hair pulled back in a ponytail, she looked nervous and Mac could tell that she was a first time co-ordinator.

"Kadabra, Staryu, let's do it!" She cried throwing out two poke balls. They opened to reveal a yellow human-shaped pokemon, with a long moustache. It held a long spoon and a red star shone on its forehead. The other pokemon looked like a starfish, but with a large red gem clutched at its centre.

"The time starts… now!" Announced the MC.

"Sandslash, rapid spin! Ivysaur, razor leaf!"

Sandslash rolled quickly into an insanely fast spin and Ivysaur unleashed a flurry of leaves.

"Kadabra, psychic!" Cried Ann Marie.

Kadabra's eyes glowed and it levitated its spoon in front of itself. Sandslash found itself stuck in its tracks and unable to continue spinning.

"Send it back!" Kadabra raised one finger and then made a slight flicking motion. Sandslash was thrown across the field, above it Mac's points fell.

"Staryu, bubble beam!" Staryu shot out a stream of bubbles and the incoming razor leaf, negating both attacks.

"Ivysaur, leech seed!"

Ivysaur shot out a large seed from its flower. The seed landed on Staryu's chest and burst into life, unfurling vines which encircled Staryu's entire body.

"That leech seed is sapping Staryu's health and Ann Marie's points!" cried the MC.

"No… uh… Staryu… rapid spin!" she spluttered.

Staryu began to spin like a buzz saw, heading towards Mac's two fighters.

"Ivysaur, use vine whip, throw Staryu into Kadabra!" Ivysaur unfurled its long vines and tied them round Staryu. Then with a twist he threw Staryu, still spinning, back towards Kadabra.

"Um…Kadabra…use… psychic," she blustered, but she wasn't fast enough, Staryu slammed into Kadabra while it was preparing to use psychic, leaving them both lying on the floor.

"That's going to cost Ann Marie a lot of points!" gasped the MC.

A buzzer rang out across the room and X's appeared on the judges screens.

Kadabra, a psychic pokemon, could not take hard, physical hits especially when unprepared.

"So Kadabra's out! Can Ann Marie and Staryu pull through together?" Asked the MC.

"Let's finish this!" Cried Mac. He glanced up at the clock and saw that there were two and a half minutes left to go, he was sure he wouldn't need them.

"Sandslash, dig!" Sandslash burrowed underground, adding a dimension of danger for Ann Marie.

The leech seed was still sapping Staryu's energy and it wasn't looking good.

"Ivysaur, tackle!" Yelled Mac. Ivysaur raced across the floor towards Staryu, head lowered like a battering ram.

"Staryu, Hydro pump!" Shrieked Ann Marie. Staryu shot out an enormous jet of water at Ivysaur. The torrent crashed into the bulb pokemon and threw it, skidding, across the field, towards Mac.

"Wow, a good hit by Staryu, shows us that this battle isn't quite over!" Yelled the MC.

Suddenly the floor crumpled beneath Staryu and Sandslash burst out, striking Staryu and throwing it high into the air.

The buzzer sounded once more announcing Staryu's and therefore Ann Marie's defeat.

"There you have it folks, Mac is moving on to the final but who will he face? Elise or Derek?"

Mac ambled backstage, making sure to give Elise a smug smile as he passed. As Elise and Derek left for their battle, Mac found himself alone backstage.

"Sandslash, Ivysaur, come out," said Mac, releasing his two battling pokemon.

"You two are doing absolutely amazingly," he smiled, stroking Ivysaur's back and scratching under Sandslash's scales just the way they liked it.

"Elise is going to be our final opponent, I just know it. She's using a Grovyle and Seviper." He whispered, more to himself than to his pokemon, "I know that we can beat her. She may have beat us in the appeal, but we are going to get that ribbon!" He promised.

He looked up at the screen, the only focal point in the whole room. There were two minutes left on the clock, but Mac was pretty sure that Elise wouldn't need them. He saw her two pokemon. The first was a human sized green lizard with a red stomach and a long green tail and arm spikes. The second pokemon was a huge black snake, it had purple and gold embellishments down the side and the tip of its tail was shaped like a blade.

"Grovyle, leaf blade! Seviper, Poison tail!"

The blades on Grovyle's arms glowed green and Seviper's tail spike glowed purple. Grovyle's leaf blade sliced into the enemy Jolteon, sending it, crashing to the floor. Seviper's poison tail, slammed into Derek's Dratini, causing it to fly up high into the air and then fall back with a pathetic thud.

"Ooops, looks like Derek's all out of points. That means that our final round will be between Elise and Mac!"

* * *

"Mac, if you drop out now, its better than losing horribly!" Jeered Elise, in front of her Grovyle and Seviper fixed Ivysaur and Sandslash with evil glares.

"Elise, I'm looking forward to wiping that smug smile off your face," Retorted Mac.

"Well here it is! The final of the Celadon contest! Elise vs. Mac! Both of them have battled and performed fantastically to get to this point. But there is only going to be one winner!" Announced the MC. On the screen the timer appeared; 5 minutes. "Let's start the battle!" Yelled the MC, behind her the timer started to tick down.

"Sandslash, dig!" Yelled Mac.

"Seviper, you too!" Snarled Elise.

Both Sandslash and Seviper burrowed into the ground leaving Ivysaur and Grovyle alone on the field.

"Sandslash, use rapid spin!"

"Seviper, haze!"

Black smoke began to pour out of the holes on the battlefield and Mac was sure that Sandslash wouldn't be able to see a thing.

"Now Seviper, Poison Tail!" Chuckled Elise. A flash of purple and moments later Sandslash came spinning back out of the hole.

"Wow an underground hit from Seviper is going to cost Mac a lot of points!"

"Ivysaur, razor leaf!"

"Grovyle, counter with Bullet seed!"

The seeds and leaves crashed into each other cancelling both attacks.

"That Grovyle's strong…" muttered Mac.

"Seviper, bite!"

Seviper burst out of the hole in front of Sandslash, latching its teeth around the small armadillo.

"And Elise scores a sneaky hit!" Cried the MC.

"Now Sandslash, rapid spin!" Grinned Mac.

Sandslash jumped into the air and began to spin, Seviper still attached to it. Sandslash rolled faster, trampling Seviper into the ground and tying it in knots round the armadillo's spiny shell.

"Sandslash, rapid spin into Grovyle!" Yelled Mac.

"Oh no you don't!" Snarled Elise, "Grovyle, Leaf blade!"

"Ivysaur, stop Grovyle with vine whip!" Screamed Mac frantically.

Grovyle charged forwards its arms spikes glowing bright green. However Ivysaur's vines smacked into Grovyle before it could dart out of the way. Moments later the rolling ball known as Sandslash and Seviper crashed into Grovyle, throwing the lizard back across the ground.

"Wow! With that great combination Mac is back in the game and the points are equal at 40!" Mac's heart leapt as he heard the words equal, was he about to win?

"Ok guys let's go! Sandslash, focus punch! Ivysaur, tackle!" Both of Mac's pokemon raced towards Elise, ready to attack.

"Grovyle, hit Sandslash with your quick attack! Seviper, Take down Ivysaur with your flamethrower!"

Sandslash was thrown backwards by the force and speed of Grovyle's sprint. Seviper took a deep breath and unleashed a jet of flames which swallowed Ivysaur and left him blackened and bruised.

"Elise has got the edge and with only one minute to go, can Mac catch up?" Shrieked the MC.

"Come on guys we can do it! Get back up!" Wailed Mac.

"Seviper, back underground!" Ordered Elise. The huge black snake burrowed into the ground, above it the timer hit forty seconds.

"Grovyle, use pound!"

"I know what to do this time Elise!" Roared Mac, "Sandslash, earthquake!"

Sandslash slammed its foot into the floor, splitting the earth in front of it. Seviper was thrown into the air, bits of rock flying up around it.

Moments later Grovyle slammed the long leaf on its head into Ivysaur.

Two loud buzzers indicated that Seviper and Ivysaur were out of the battle.

"A double KO, with only 10 seconds left on the clock!" Shrieked the MC, the crowd was on the edge of their seats, the battle could still go either way.

"Grovyle, Bullet seed!" Grovyle opened its mouth and spat out a line of seeds towards Sandslash.

"Sandslash, Swift!" Sandslash waved its claws in front of itself, sending out streaks of glimmering stars. The stars and seeds hit, showering the audience in a glimmering light.

"TIMES UP!" Sang the MC, "And after that heated battle the winner is…"

Mac held his breath, Elise bit her lip ferociously. Sandslash and Grovyle stared at the screen in tense nervousness. The audience was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"MAC!!"

Mac screamed with excitement and Elise fell to her knees, sobbing, "it's not fair! I deserved to win!"

* * *

"Mac I am honoured to give you the Celadon Ribbon," Smiled Mr. Contester, handing Mac a shining green ribbon. Corphish, Pachirisu, Sandslash and Ivysaur looked up happily as Mac slid the ribbon into place beside the one from Vermillion.

"Mac!" Snapped a voice from offstage. "You better be at the Lavender contest so that I can kick your ass!" Elise roared.

Mac smiled as he saw the tall blonde woman storm off. Nothing could dampen his mood.

He had two ribbons and he only needed two more for the grand festival.

"Look out Allegra! Because I'm going to see you and beat you at the grand festival."

**Hope you enjoyed**


	18. Vileplume and Victreebell 2

Erika and her pokemon had been tired after their last battle, so Mac, Zoe and Nate had checked into the nearby pokemon centre and were looking forward to a good nights sleep.

* * *

Mac let the hot water run down his back, enjoying the feeling of the water, soothing his tired body. Throwing a towel around his waist, he walked to the mirror, stuffing his hat on his wet hair.

On the mantelpiece lay his ribbon case , conveniently left open so that Mac could gaze down at his two glorious ribbons. Beside it sat Mac's pokemon egg.

Mac took the egg in his hand and felt the heat from within. The egg was still a mystery and Mac had no idea what it was or when it would hatch.

Mac released Pachirisu and Corphish, (Sandslash and Ivysaur were in the pokemon centre healing up after all their battles).

The squirrel and the crab looked expectantly up at Mac.

"I just wanted to say thanks," he said sheepishly.

Pachirisu returned his gratitude by shocking him slightly. Mac dropped his towel, in surprise, causing both pokemon to hide their eyes in embarrassment.

* * *

Zoe combed her dark hair behind her head and twisted it through a hair band, making a spunky pony tail. She posed in the mirror to make sure that she would look good, even asleep.

She looked down at her bedside table which held her third badge; the rainbow badge.

Still, however happy she might be about beating Erika the empty place where the cascade badge might have gone still twisted her stomach in knots.

"But I've improved since then, I know I have…" Zoe whispered to herself before switching off her bedside light and snuggling under the covers.

* * *

"Are you ready for tomorrow?" Asked Nate, Turtwig and Charmeleon sitting on the floor in front of him. Both pokemon nodded avidly.

"Turtwig, this is going to be our first battle together, I hope you're feeling confident."

Turtwig agreed happily and then took a bite out of the bed sheet. Nate hastily returned Turtwig and then said goodnight to Charmeleon.

Rolling onto his bed fully clothed Nate began to think about his brother.

Logan must have fought these battles once. Nate wondered, just wondered, whether he was better at this stage than Logan was. With that happy thought in mind, Nate prepared for bed.

* * *

"This will be a two on two battle," announced Erika. "I will use Victreebell and Vileplume!" She threw out her familiar fighters and Nate eyed them up and down.

"Turtwig, Charmeleon, lets do this thing!" Turtwig and Charmeleon appeared in a flash of white light.

"Let's go! Turtwig use tackle!"

Turtwig charged at Vileplume, head down. Turtwig was getting closer and closer when suddenly it was thrown to the side by a vicious vine whip from Victreebell.

"Charmeleon, fire spin!" Ordered Nate, Charmeleon opened its mouth and coughed out a spiral of flames towards Victreebell and Vileplume.

"Vileplume, petal dance!" Vileplume shoot out a flurry of pink flowers, they quickly burned up in the fire spin but managed to negate both attacks.

"Victreebell, slam!"

"Turtwig, bite!"

Victreebeel charged at Turtwig, but the little bulb pokemon opened its jaw and clamped down with ludicrous strength. Victreebell squealed in pain.

"Now Charmeleon, Metal Claw!" Charmeleon's claws glowed brightly as it darted towards Victreebell.

"Vileplume, Solar Beam!" Shrieked Erika. Vileplume lowered its flower and the centre glowed brightly. At the same time Charmeleon drew closer and closer to the immobilized Victreebell. It was a race against time, who's move would work first.

Charmeleon's claw slammed into Victreebell and at the exact same time Vileplume's solar beam hit the red dragon in the side, throwing it to the floor.

"Keep it up Nate, don't give in!" Yelled Zoe from the sidelines.

"Turtwig, Razor leaf! Charmeleon, Flamethrower!"

Turtwig unleashed a whirlwind of leaves and Charmeleon set fire to them with a jet of flames.

"Victreebell, take the hit!" Victreebell leapt in front of Vileplume and took the flames without even flinching.

"Now Vileplume, use petal dance!"

Pink petals slammed into Turtwig and Charmeleon throwing both pokemon to the floor.

"Victreebell, synthesis!" Victreebell's whole body glowed as it healed itself.

"Nate! Don't let her keep healing herself!" Warned Mac.

"Charmeleon? Turtwig? You ok?" Asked Nate, worriedly. Turtwig and Charmeleon struggled to their feet, but they were both clearly ready for more.

"Vileplume, Petal Dance! Victreebell, Razor Leaf!" Roared Erika, not giving Nate a chance to regain his thoughts.

"Charmeleon, flamethrower!" Nate blurted out and the red dragon unleashed a curl of red hot flames.

"Now Turtwig, Leech Seed!" Yelled Nate, relying on instincts.

Turtwig squeezed a seed from the bulb on its back and shot it at Vileplume. The seed hit Vileplume and stuck to its chest. Suddenly it unleashed long whip like vines that encompassed Vileplume and began to sap the flowers strength.

"Nice one Nate, you can do it!" Cried Mac.

"A good strategy Nate," smiled Erica, "but you haven't won yet!"

Victreebell unleashed a long vine and before Charmeleon or Turtwig had a chance to dodge it, it had ensnared them both.

"Vileplume, solar beam!"

"Nate, look out!" Gasped Zoe.

"Get out of there guys!" Warned Nate.

Turtwig and Charmeleon struggled against the vines, pulling at the tight, green ropes. But they were too strong. The beam shot forth from Vileplume's petal and smashed into both of Nate's pokemon, sending them flying.

Nate bit his lip nervously, it definitely wasn't looking good for him.

"Turtwig, use synthesis!" Begged Nate.

Turtwig's leaf glowed as it restored its health.

"Vileplume, Victreebell, hit Turtwig while its charging!" Demanded Erica. Both of her pokemon unleashed tornadoes of leaves and sent them spiralling towards Turtwig.

"Charmeleon, help Turtwig!" Begged Nate.

Charmeleon leapt in the way of the attacks, using its body to shield Turtwig from harm.

Nate gritted his teeth, Charmeleon wasn't looking in great shape now and he wondered how long the red dragon would last.

"Charmeleon, smokescreen!" Said Nate suddenly and Charmeleon let out a cloud of thick smoke, obscuring all four pokemon from view.

"Turtwig, tackle! Charmeleon, metal claw!"

Both attacks found their mark and for once Erica's pokemon were the ones to stumble and fall.

"Yes Nate!" Cheered Mac and Zoe.

"Now Vileplume, stun spore!" Retorted Erica.

Nate gasped as Vileplume shot out a cloud of yellow, immersing Charmeleon and causing it to stumble to a halt.

"Now Victreebell!" Screamed Erica.

Nate couldn't do a thing as Victreebell charged towards his immobilized Charmeleon. Charmeleon was thrown through the air by the force of the impact and landed on its back.

"Charmeleon is unable to battle!" Announced the judge.

"Turtwig, razor leaf!" Yelled Nate, eager for revenge. The leaves crashed into the already weakened by leech seed Vileplume. Vileplume tottered for a moment and then slumped to the floor.

"Vileplume is unable to battle!"

Leader and challenger returned their unconscious pokemon, telling them how well they'd fought.

Now it was just Turtwig versus Victreebell.

"Turtwig, I know you're new to my team, but we can win together!" Encouraged Nate.

"Victreebell use vine whip!"

"Turtwig, dodge!" Ordered Nate. Turtwig leapt out of the way of the vines, ducking and diving to avoid each and every one.

"Victreebell, sleep powder!"

Turtwig was drowned in purple powder. As the powder dissolved it left the figure of Turtwig, slumbering happily on the grass.

"Turtwig, no!" Whined Nate.

"Victreebell, get right in close and use leaf storm!"

Nate, Zoe and Mac gasped. They all knew that Turtwig wouldn't survive a leaf storm from up close.

"Turtwig, you have to wake up!" Begged Nate, but Turtwig was remaining deep in sleep.

"Turtwig, you can do it. Come on!" Screamed Nate as Victreebell got closer and closer.

Victreebell reached Turtwig. It began to charge up, preparing to unleash its most devastating attack. Suddenly, Turtwig's eyes burst open. The little grass pokemon leapt into action, clamping its jaws down of Victreebell's body, startling it completely.

"Yes Turtwig!" Laughed Nate. "Now tackle Victreebell into the tree!"

Turtwig raced towards the tree, Victreebell squirming in its mouth. Turtwig slammed into the tree, crushing Victreebell against it.

"Victreebell is unable to battle! Charmeleon and Turtwig are the winners!"

Erica returned her pokemon with a sigh and then walked over to Nate holding out the glimmering Rainbow badge.

"You fought brilliantly," she smiled, "I give you this Rainbow badge as proof of your victory."

Nate beamed, slotting the badge, alongside his other three, in his badge case.

"You've really bonded with that Turtwig," she smiled.

Turtwig agreed, nibbling affectionately at Nate's ankles.

"I can see the two of you going far!" She said and Nate and Turtwig grinned at one another.

"Thanks Erica, I just know we will go far!" promised Nate.

* * *

Mac, Nate and Zoe were walking along the cliff path, admiring their prizes from Celadon city. Two badges and a ribbon.

"This egg is about to hatch," said Mac excitedly, holding the egg tightly in his hands, "I just know it!"

"Let me hold it!" Asked Zoe, trying to grab the egg from Mac's hand.

"No, Zoe, I can't trust you!" Yelled Mac, pulling it out of her grip.

"C'mon let me hold it!" Begged Zoe, jostling Mac in her attempt to grab it.

Mac held the egg high above his head, far out of Zoe's reach.

"No way Zoe, you're bound to drop it!" He said, content that Zoe couldn't reach it. Nate was watching the two of them sheepishly, not wanting to get involved.

"Let me hold that damn egg!" She screeched at the top of lungs, pushing Mac backwards.

Mac stumbled on an uneven rock and his ankle twisted beneath him. He toppled to the floor, his arms waving, the egg flying high into the air…

Mac gasped. Zoe gasped. Nate gasped. As the egg flew through the air and over the edge of the cliff…

**CLIFFHANGER!!**

**Hope you enjoyed! (Sorry its been so long!)**


End file.
